Champion of the Sun
by Avarianus
Summary: Being a demigod is never easy. Far from it. One half of the world doesn't understand you and the other half tries to kill you. Percy had learned this painful truth at a young age. But he had no idea how crazy his life could become, at least not until he met Apollo and became his champion. How will his fate change under the guidance of a god? AU Apollo raised Percy
1. Chapter 1

**So yeah, I have decided to bring this story back to FF. I will upload the rest of the chapters when I have the time to do it. And yes, that also includes the sequel. Just be glad that there are some people on FF that are very insistent...**

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It was a dreadfully boring day. A day filled with nothing but waiting. And if there was one thing that young Perseus 'Percy' Jackson was bad at, it was waiting. He couldn't stay still for long. He blamed his ADHD for that, but deep down he knew that it was also connected to the man who had raised him for the last five years. Growing up under the tutelage of a god who always seemed upbeat wasn't much help either. Said god was also the reason why Percy was currently sitting on a tree, somewhere in the middle of Yellowstone.

He yawned in boredom, one leg hanging limply down from the branch he was sitting on, keeping his hand busy with the straps of his leather armor. It was far too hot to wear something like it, but he knew that it was a necessity. His patron did not want him to get hurt unnecessarily. And it was a gift of his patron, so he wouldn't dare to offend the god who had helped him so much in the past years. Even if it meant to wear this uncomfortable piece of armor, with its almost offending, bright golden ornaments, depicting the prowess of said god in the field of archery.

"Just why did you have to send me here today..." Percy mumbled, his annoyance finally getting the upper hand. He glared up at the sun, knowing full well that his patron was smirking down at him.

"Well this at least beats the Museum visit with Mr Brunner." He shuddered at the thought. Not that he disliked Mr Brunner, quite the opposite in fact, he was his favorite teacher. But Percy had dreaded to go on this field trip with his classmates. He actually jumped at the chance to get away. Now he wasn't so sure what would have been more boring. Being inside a Museum, listening to endless explanations of myths, which he already knew to be true, or sitting in the middle of nowhere, waiting for something, anything to happen.

He looked around once more, listening to the sounds around him. He had been taught to use his surroundings, to use even the slightest whisper in the wind to find possible enemies. His patron, Apollo, wanted him to be a hunter of considerable skill. He remembered Apollos word well, '_Percy, my young friend, once I am done with you, you will even outmatch my little Sis' Girl Scouts.'_

Percy snorted when he remembered the cocky grin Apollo had on his face that day. He was absolutely sure that he would succeed. Percy was not so sure about that. To this day he had several run ins with Artemis and her Hunters, and suffice to say, he always had to make a run for it, else he would have ended up as a pincushion. Percy was sure that Apollo had planned those fateful meetings every single time. It just couldn't be coincidence.

His attention snapped towards the nearby bushes. He couldn't help himself but smirk, when he saw two Hellhounds coming closer, both sniffing around.

'Finally' Percy thought, a wicked grin spreading on his lips. He knew that those Hellhounds would smell him soon, if they hadn't already caught on to him. So he picked up his bow, which he had hung on a higher branch next to him and notched an arrow.

Only a year ago he would have declared anyone, who said that he would use a bow, ready for a lunatic asylum, but after he got Apollo's full blessing and very long and intensive training, he got better. He still preferred close combat though, just because it came more natural to him.

Before he could release his arrow, someone else attacked the two monsters. Several arrows hit the first Hellhound, killing it on the spot. Percy groaned when he saw three girls enter the scene, all dressed in similar hunting outfits, their bows ready, trained at the remaining monster.

"Great, Hunters." He glared at the sun. Apollo was laughing his ass off, no doubt. Watch Percy getting hunted through a forest by Artemis and her man hating club of maidens. Maybe he should have decided to go to the Museum, at least no one would try to neuter him there.

The three Hunters made quick work of the remaining Hellhound, but still looked around wearily. He had come to the same conclusion as they had. Two wild Hellhounds never walk around without their pack nearby.

A loud howl announced the arrival of the other monsters. Ten more Hellhounds and by their looks they were pissed because of their friends demise. Percy debated with himself, whether to help the three girls or not. They were in considerable danger at the moment. Ah scratch that. Even the Hunters had a problem when they were outnumbered like this. But showing himself would inevitably cause another tortu... ah questioning session with Lady Artemis.

He elected to wait, to see whether they would need his help or not. So far they had done pretty well. Two more monsters had turned into dust and none of the girls had sustained any injuries. But that was about to change very soon.

The beasts had reached them and now the Hunters got forced into close combat. And even though Lady Artemis would most likely strike him down for saying it so bluntly, but those three Hunters are worse than camp trained demigods in close combat. Even Apollo would agree.

By now there were only five monsters left, but one of the Hunters was bleeding profusely from a wound on her arm, her sisters were faring not much better. All of them were hurt.

"Time to end this." Percy mumbled, as he took aim. He had already picked his first victim. One of the Hunters had stumbled and a Hellhound was about to pounce on her. He let go of the arrow and watched as it flew, hitting its intended mark, the neck of the attacking monster. It dispersed before it could do any damage, much to the obvious relieve of the girl who was about to get killed.

He shot two more arrows, wounding other Hellhounds, distracting them from their original targets. The distraction was long enough for the Hunters to kill them. Percy felt drained after his fourth shot. Archery wasn't natural to him, it was a gift that consumed too much strength, at least from a twelve year old boy with abysmal natural skill in archery. He had to rely on the powers Apollo had given him and that consumed far too much energy for Percy's liking,

The three Hunters looked around, trying to find out who had aided them. They must have believed that their sisters and their Lady had come, but they did not find what they were searching for. Not until they spotted the boy on the branch.

"Now things get awkward." Percy said, though he was sure the girls could not hear him. They looked at him oddly... with appreciation? 'Must be new to the Hunt, else they wouldn't look at me like this' Percy thought in wonderment. The other Hunters hated it when he interfered, even when he saved their lives. Too much pride and too much hatred for men.

Some very awkward moments passed. The girls staring at him as if he was some rare mythical being, and him staring back at them, still disbelieving that there were Hunters that would not try to attack him on sight.

The moment ended when a loud roar shattered the silence. Once more Percy groaned and looked towards the sun. "The Minotaur, really?" He asked his patron, though he knew he wouldn't get an answer any time soon.

So far he had crossed paths with the beast three times. Every time he had avoided fighting it. It just wasn't worth the hassle. Most demigods would kill to be in his place, to get the chance to fight a foe like the Minotaur. But Percy was not just any demigod. As Apollo's champion he had already killed quite a lot of monsters under his patron's guidance. He just did not care for the fame of killing such beasts.

Suddenly the earth shook slightly, as the large beast appeared on the scene. He heard some fearful shrieks from the three Hunters. All of them were wounded, no condition to fight an enemy of this strength. Of course the beast saw their weakness and started running towards them, ready to finish them off.

Percy notched another arrow, aiming for the Minotaurs head. He knew he had only the strength for one more shot left. Any more shots would drain his strength too much and he was sure that arrows would not be the way to kill an enemy like this. But he needed a way to get his attention.

The arrow flew and hit the Minotaur in its neck. To the large monster it was nothing more than an annoyance, but it stopped the attack on the hunters.

"Hey, Ugly." Percy yelled, as he jumped down from his branch, his bow now on his back. "Nice briefs." He chuckled as the Minotaur turned towards him, rage visible in its beady eyes. With another loud roar it charged at Percy. "Now that was the easy part..." Percy mumbled, as he got ready for the attack and took out his sword.

He shifted his weight from one leg to the other and back, as he watched the approaching Minotaur. He had only one chance to do this right. The beast would be a pain in the ass if he had to fight it in a real fight.

"Wait..." Percy mumbled. The Minotaur had nearly reached him. "Wait..." He could almost smell its stench now, as he shifted his weight to the left. "Now..." He jumped to the left, only seconds before the Minotaur would have run him over. Instead the beast collided with the tree, one of its horns stuck in the tree.

Percy jumped up from the ground. Wasting no time he jumped onto the Minotaur's back, using his own arrow to steady himself, before he rammed his sword into the monster's neck. The Minotaur roared in pain, before it became limp and turned into dust.

Percy fell to the ground with a loud thud, as he couldn't get off the beast's back before it disappeared. "Ow... man this sucks..." He yelped, as he rubbed his aching behind. "There goes another one for Apollo's list. I hope he at least rewards me for this one..." He said, before he turned around to look at the Hunters.

The three girls were still there, watching him wide eyed. All three were still bleeding, their wounds obviously worse than he had at first anticipated. Percy looked around, hoping to see the other Hunters and Lady Artemis somewhere. "Hoping to see the Hunters... must have hit my head..." Percy said with a snort. But there was no one else around, not yet at least.

He carefully approached the three girls, watching them for any sign of hostility. But they showed none. He knew it wasn't wise to loiter around Artemis' hunters as a male, but he couldn't just leave them, when he could still help. There were some things Apollo had taught him that would be helpful now.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to do any harm. I can help you, at least a bit." He said cautiously, as he got closer to the girls. One of the girls got closer, looking conflicted.

"Please, help Ariadne. We can't stop the bleeding. Please help if you can."

He merely nodded, before he stopped next to the girl on the ground, the one who had nearly ended up as a Hellhound chewtoy, had it not been for his first arrow. He crouched down next to Ariadne, said girl looking weakly at him, her face pale. The other two girls watched him cautiously, one of them even with obvious distaste. But she said nothing, caring more about her sister's well fare, than about her dislike for men.

"This will probably sting a bit. I'm not as good as Apollo and his children, but I can stop the bleeding." He waved with his hand, gathering water from a nearby puddle, collecting it in a small orb of pure and clean water. He moved his hand above the gaping wound on the girl's arm, causing the water to cover the wound. Channeling his own healing factor, combined with the very basic healing techniques he could do through Apollo's blessing, he cleaned the wound and closed it. The other girls looked relieved, when they saw the wound disappear.

"This is all I can do. You will have to wait for the rest of your Hunting party to..." Suddenly an arrow flew by, missing his head by mere inches. "Guess they are already here." He said, as he increased the distance to the girls. It didn't take long, before more arrows came his way, all of them purposely missing him, at least barely. Moments later he came face to face with a girl he knew all to well.

"Oh, hey Zoe. Fancy meeting you here." Percy said with a nervous chuckle. The girl's black eyes were narrowed in anger. He had learned the hard way that an angry Zoe mostly ended with a hurting Percy.

"Jackson." She stated coldly. "I told thee to stay away from my sisters. Thou will have to learn the hard way, again." She raised her bow at him, ignoring his obvious gesture of surrender. Percy knew that he was too tired from the fight before. Too tired to fight... too tired to run from angry Hunters."

"Apollo, now would be a great time for you to show up..." Percy mumbled silently, hoping that Zoe had not heard him.

"Zoe, stand down." The girl did not hesitate to follow the order. Both she and Percy recognized the voice without seeing the person who spoke. Now Percy knew that he was seriously screwed.

Next to Zoe appeared a girl, that looked no older than twelve or thirteen, with long auburn colored hair in a ponytail and shimmering silvery eyes. Said eyes were narrowed in anger, as she stared at Percy.

"Lady Artemis..." Percy said respectful as possible, his head bowed. He really did not want to anger her any further.

"Perseus Jackson, I warned you to stay away from my Hunters. Yet you disobey me and show yourself before me again."

"I had no intention to interfere with your hunters, I'm here..."

"Silence." She snapped at him. "Whatever your reasons were, you interfered with the trials of my youngest Hunters. They were here to prove themselves and you undermined that purpose."

"With all due respect, would you have preferred for me to stay out of it and watch your youngest die in a fight against an enemy that was far too strong for them?" Percy replied in his defense.

Artemis looked at him coldly, before she turned around and walked over to the three girls he had saved. The moment the goddess was gone, Percy was once more alone with an angry Zoe and an arrow pointed at his face. He took another step back, but he knew he wouldn't escape. Zoe just looked at him with a glare that dared him to try and run so she could shoot him.

Some tense moments later Artemis returned, a displeased frown on her face. "It seems that you spoke the truth and only acted when they needed your help." Percy seemed to calm a bit when he heard that, his hope rising that he might get out of this without loosing either his life or important parts of the male anatomy. "But you dared to touch one of my maidens. That is an unforgivable act and must be punished." He paled when he heard the punishment part.

"But I only did it so I could..." He couldn't finish defending himself, as a blinding flash appeared before him, interrupting all conversations around them.

"Apollo!" Artemis growled.

"Hey little sis. Hey girls." Apollo himself had finally taken pity on his champion and appeared to help him. Percy didn't know whether he should hug him for coming to safe him or kick him for getting him into this situation in the first place. The latter action would most likely gain him at least some sympathy with the Hunters. All of them glared at the god, as he started to flirt with them only moments after he had arrived.

"What are you doing here, Apollo?"

"What? Can't a man visit his little sister once in a while?"

"I am the older twin, Apollo. Stop calling me little sister." Artemis retorted icily.

"Ah, that is something that I cannot do." Then he turned around and saw Percy, who was still holding his hands up in surrender. "Oh, hey Percy, fancy meeting you here. Everything alright? You look a bit worried."

"Hey, Apollo." Percy greeted his patron halfheartedly. "As you can see I'm in a... difficult situation right now..."

"Aw, sis, what has my champion done to deserve this?"

"Your 'champion'" she spat the word as if it was something nasty, "has interfered with my Hunters trial and touched one of my maidens."

"Touched?" Apollo looked back at Percy with a wicked grin. "Finally following my teachings, it was about time." He said with a chuckle, as he high fived with one of the hands Percy was still holding up to avoid getting shot by Zoe.

"Apollo, you are not helping..." Percy said worriedly. He could see the anger on Artemis face increasing with every single word her brother spoke.

"Ah, yes." Apollo then turned back to Artemis. "Sorry, little sis, but I can't let you kill Percy yet. I still need my champion. I want to make him just as awesome as I am." He said with a grin. Before Artemis could find a proper reply, Apollo had already placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Until next time, sis, ladies." He grinned cocky at Artemis and her Hunters, before he and Percy disappeared in a flash.

Artemis was fuming, though her anger was no longer directed at Percy, but at her brother instead. Maybe she should bring this to her fathers attention during the next meeting. Zeus would be the only one to stop Apollo from bothering her and her Hunters.

Percy meanwhile found himself on the passenger seat of a Maserati. Apollo sat in the driver's seat, laughing uproariously. "Percy, my young friend, this was a truly awesome day. You should have seen Artemis face, she didn't know whether she should thank you or strangle you, it was hilarious."

"Your sister is crazy, man. The last time I was in such a situation she tried to neuter me with blunt tipped arrows." This only caused Apollo to laugh even more.

"Ah, don't worry. She does like you, else she would have already turned you into a jackalope. You are saving her Hunters' lives every single time you run across them."

"That was all your doing." Percy accused with a childish pout. "You knew they would be there. That's why you left me in the middle of nowhere."

"Maybe..." Apollo said with a grin. "But don't worry. Relax and enjoy the music. I'll bring you back to your school once I've completed my duty for the day." Percy did not bother to reply, instead he leaned back in the seat and did as he was told. He was in the sun chariot at the moment, so that meant that it would take a few hours before Apollo would let him go. The best he could do now was wait and relax, even though he would have to listen to Apollo's favorite music all day.


	2. Chapter 2

Pandemonium raged in the Olympian Council, as Apollo entered the chamber with a self-assured gait. He couldn't help but smirk the entire time. So far it had been a very productive day. He had pissed off his little sister, his champion had killed yet another powerful monster and to top it all he had met a very pretty woman in a bar after he had finished his duties and dropped Percy off at his school. Yes, truly a great day. Not even this unexpected meeting of the council could ruin his day. Or at least he thought that.

He was the last to arrive, not that he minded that, since his arrival was not seen by any of the other gods. All of them were either bickering or watching what looked like a major disagreement between Zeus and Poseidon.

He casually strolled over to Hermes, to tell him about that great new bar he had found earlier and the mortal woman he had spent the rest of the night with. The two gods often went out, partying together. For a moment Apollo idly thought about how many years he would have to wait until he could bring Percy along. The boy had yet to learn so much about how to woo the fairer sex and Apollo intended to teach him everything he knew. And Hermes would surely welcome another friend for their nightly 'hunts'. Ah, good times that will await them in the future. He felt giddy like a child in a toy store just thinking about it.

But all thoughts came to a quick end when Zeus bellowed in his anger, "Enough! SILENCE!" All other gods knew better than to test their luck, so they stopped talking and returned to their thrones.

Zeus looked at the other gods in anger, daring any of them to speak out of line again. But to his satisfaction they all remained quiet. This calmed his anger somewhat, but he wouldn't let go of it. Not yet.

"A grave injustice has been done. Someone had the audacity to break into Olympus and steal from me. But that thief has not just stolen some fancy trinket, but my Master Bolt!" Zeus voice thundered through the room, shocking all the other gods in attendance. That someone managed to steal Zeus' weapon and symbol of power was a great shock.

"But how can this be possible, father?" Athena asked, a look of concentration on her face as she tried to think of every possibility. "Gods cannot steal other gods' symbols of power."

"No, gods cannot, but demigods can." Zeus replied in anger, his eyes directed at his brother, Poseidon, as he said that.

"Are you accusing me of being the on who has orchestrated this theft, Zeus?" Poseidon asked with an ice-cold voice.

"You are the one who would gain the most, brother." Zeus spat the word brother with all the distaste he could muster. "As it is, you are the one who has betrayed us all, by breaking the oath we made."

"Just like you did. Or do I have to remind you that you have sired a demigod as well?"

"My child is gone from this world, not dead, but lost forever. I was punished for my plunder. But you, you kept your son a secret to this day. Did you really think you could keep his existence a secret and get away with stealing my weapon?"

"Leave my son out of this or you will pay!" Poseidon yelled furious as he jumped of his throne and marched over to Zeus. Just like the sea, Poseidon could be calm, deadly silent, one moment, only to become wild and furious in the next.

"The thief will pay."

"Father, Percy cannot be the thief." Apollo interjected, much to Zeus' and Poseidon's surprise.

"You know this demigod, Apollo?" Zeus demanded threateningly.

"I do. Young Perseus is my champion and student. He cannot be the thief, I can vouch for him." Apollo spoke with insistence. Sure, Percy was a child that should technically not exist, but Apollo had come to like the quirky demigod.

"How dare you defy me and shelter this sea-spawn?"

"Father, when I met Perseus I had no idea that he was the son of Poseidon. But that doesn't matter. He is my champion and my friend. He is no threat to you or Olympus."

Zeus glared in anger at his defiant son, while Poseidon seemed to be absolutely gobsmacked. He had no idea that his son had been in contact with any of the gods, let alone that he had become the champion of Apollo. For Percy's own safety he had ceased all contact to the boy and his mother. He did not want to draw any attention to them. The memory of what Zeus did to Hades last mortal lover was still present and he did not wish that for Perseus and Sally, the boy's mortal mother.

"How did you meet my son?" Poseidon asked calmly, since Zeus was still fuming and seemingly unresponsive.

"Ah, you know, it was a little more than five years ago. I had met this beautiful blonde in that bar... Gabrielle... no Laura... or was it Nicole..."

"Get to the point, you chauvinist pig." Artemis interjected, openly repulsed by the way her brother talked about the women he met and seduced.

"Geez, little sis, please stop interrupting me." Apollo said with a mock stern look at Artemis. "Where was I... ah yes. So I left her apartment and decided to take a little stroll through Central Park, since the night was still far from over. So I walked around aimlessly, when I happened upon an almost tragic scene. I found a young boy, no older than seven, fighting against a lone Hellhound. It was easy to see that the boy was a demigod, so I watched, since the laws forbid me from helping. What I saw astounded me. The boy managed to kill the monster, armed only with a broken stick. An awesome display of power in a child that young."

Poseidon paled greatly when he heard Apollo's words. He knew that the boy must have been Percy. But why was his son alone in that park? Where was his mother? The question haunted his mind, but he kept silent, waiting for Apollo to finish his little tale.

"So I stood there, watching the boy until he had finished his fight. After he had won I approached the boy, intent on healing him, since he was badly hurt and bleeding profusely. The boy was very reluctant to accept help from a stranger, but eventually trusted me enough to let me help him. While I healed his wounds I asked him why he was alone and he told me of what he had gone through before I met him. Apparently his mother had died in an accident only a few days before and the boy got thrown out of his home by his stepfather."

Poseidon felt a surge of sadness hit him when he heard that Sally was dead. Though he was forced to leave her behind, he still loved the woman, as he had done with all those mortal lover she had. But at the same time the actions of her last husband angered him greatly. Oh how he wished to stand up and hunt that wretched mortal down. But he had other matters to attend to. His son and the theft of the Master Bolt were more important at the moment.

"So, being the awesome person that I am, I offered the little orphan a deal. I had seen his power and I had no doubt that he would grow even more powerful the older he would become. So I offered him to become my ward and champion."

"Gods are not allowed to raise demigods." Hera interjected with a frown.

"Not necessarily..." Athena said carefully. "We are forbidden to take care of our own children. The law never concerned the children of other gods."

"And we have a winner." Apollo said with a grin.

Athena looked at Apollo with an unamused expression, "I am surprised though, that you managed to figure this out by yourself." She stated dryly.

"Then we will have to amend this immediately!" Hera insisted.

"Ladies, please. Nothing bad has come from this."

"Nothing bad? I shudder to think how you raised the boy. Taking him to bars no doubt." Hera accused.

"Apollo, for your own sake I hope that you did not take my son with you on your nightly excursions." Poseidon said with a low growl.

"Hey, just for you information, I can be an awesome dad. My children would have all become awesome, had you allowed me to raise them. And Percy is the best example. I sent him to boarding schools, while training him at night. It's been a blast and he has grown up well. You will like what the boy has become and..."

"Enough of this." Zeus voice boomed through the chamber. He had finally cooled down enough to not lose his temper, at least for the moment. But he was far from happy about this entire situation. "I will only ask this once, so I warn all of you. Do not lie to me." The room suddenly became deadly silent. "Who else beside Apollo and Poseidon knew about this child?"

All gods looked around, until several raised their arms, though some seemed to be hesitant to do so. When Zeus looked around he couldn't believe his eyes. This was worse than he had expected. Not only had Poseidon and Apollo lied to him, but Hermes, Artemis and Ares as well.

"Hermes, explain yourself." Zeus commanded.

Said god smirked lazily, before he answered, "I've met the kid now and then, when I had to deliver messages to Apollo while he was training Percy. He is a really nice kid, though I did not know who his father was."

Zeus gaze wandered to Ares next. "And you, Ares?"

"We had some... unplanned sparring sessions over the last few years. Beating the kid up was the best fun I had since the last world war. I sometimes wondered whether he could be one of mine, seeing his increasing skill with swords."

"You did what?" Poseidon exploded again, though an angry look from Zeus forced him to shut up again.

"It's called training, uncle. The kid has to learn how to fight and I doubt sun-boy could teach him properly."

"Hey, I resent that statement. I'm an awesome teacher!"

Apollo was ignored by all others, while Zeus gaze wandered to his daughter, Artemis. She, too, had raised her hand. He wondered how she would fit into this. So far she had never disobeyed him like this, not when something a big as the Prophecy threatened them all.

Artemis sighed, before she spoke up, mustering all her pent up anger at her brother and his interfering ways. "That boy has interfered with my hunt several times. Apollo likes to send Perseus to bother me and my Hunters, killing our prey, aiding us when his aid was neither desired nor needed."

"I've sent you a guardian whenever I could, little sis. If you remember correctly, every time I have sent Percy to help your Hunters, he saved the lives of several of your girls. Never has he done anything out of the line, never has he done what you expect from all men."

"A guardian? Are you mad? A young boy, who cannot even guard himself properly? All he did was interfere. All he did was undermine the self-confidence of my Hunters. How are they supposed to feel when a male shows up to help them every time they face a dangerous enemy?"

"Grateful would be a good start..." Apollo mumbled. But Artemis either didn't hear him or purposely ignored him.

"I've heard enough. This boy... this thief... I want him brought here, so he can pay for what he has done!" Zeus commanded imperiously.

"Father, when exactly was your bolt stolen?" Apollo asked with a frown. He really did not like how this meeting progressed.

"Somewhere within the last 24 hours. Tell me Apollo, did you bring him here? Have you aided him in this theft? Are you trying to overthrow me?" _'Of course he must believe that his son will overthrow him, just because he has overthrown his own father before. Everyone has to be after his power..'_ Apollo though angrily, when he heard that ridiculous accusation.

"I have no desire to overthrow you father. I would not benefit from that. And Percy cannot be the thief. Percy has spent the last day in Yellowstone, hunting monsters on my order. Even Artemis can confirm that. They met there yesterday." All eyes were directed at Artemis, who nodded in confirmation, albeit it was obvious that she only did so reluctantly. She did not like the fact that she helped the boy who had offended her Hunter's pride on numerous occasions. But she was also a goddess that wouldn't allow injustice to take place, not when she could stop it. "See, I'm telling the truth. And after he met Artemis he spent the entire rest of the day with me in my sun-chariot, before I dropped him off at his school again."

"Fine." Zeus huffed angrily. He did not like that he had to start his search for the thief from square one. It would have been far easier to blame the son of his brother. The boy wasn't supposed to live in the first place. "But that still leaves us with a child that could endanger us all. For the sake of the prophecy this boy has to die!"

"Percy is of no concern for the prophecy, father. He is bound to me, just like the Hunters are bound to Artemis. His loyalty to Olympus is unquestionable." Artemis glared at Apollo. To hear him compare this boy to her beloved Hunters made her angry, though she couldn't fault his logic. "Believe me, I know enough about prophecies. I'm the god of prophecies after all."

Poseidon sank back on his throne, relief visible on his face. To hear that his son would be safe from the prophecy eased his worries. But at the same time he felt disturbed by the thought to leave his son alone with Apollo. The god of the sun wasn't exactly a favorite of Poseidon.

"Still, this boy has to prove his allegiance to all of Olympus, not just to you." Zeus bellowed. "I want him brought here, so we can get him to swear his loyalty to all of Olympus."

Apollo knew that this was probably the best he would get for his champion, so he resigned to that. "Fine. I will fetch him and..."

"No. You will not interact with him until he has sworn his allegiance to Olympus. You will not be allowed to influence him in any way or form until this is done." Zeus decreed.

"Then who will bring him here? Let Hermes bring him. Percy likes him enough to trust him without any problems." Apollo replied, slightly miffed about his father's decision. As if he would try to turn Percy against any of the other gods.

"No, you and Hermes are far too close." _'And there is his paranoia again...'_ Apollo thought in annoyance. "Artemis, you know the boy, but I trust you more than your brothers." That last part earned Zeus angered looks from both Apollo and Hermes, but he ignored his sons. "Find Perseus, the son of Poseidon and bring him here! But remember, we need him alive and unharmed if possible."

"At once, father."

"Then this council is dismissed. We will reconvene once we either get new information on the thief of my Master Bolt or Artemis returns from her quest." With that the gods left, until only Poseidon, Apollo and Artemis remained in the room.

"Apollo, where is your champion?" Artemis demanded to know.

"Oh, little sis, he could be anywhere. Maybe he is here in Olympus. Maybe I've sent him to Delphi to see the ruins of my old temple. Or maybe he is already at Camp Half blood. I guess you will have to find out yourself." Apollo said with a challenging smirk.

"Then I shall hunt him down and bring him here. You will see that my Hunters are far superior to him!" Artemis vowed, before she stormed away.

"Good luck, you will need it." Apollo yelled after her, before he chuckled. Oh Percy would have some fun and learn some valuable lessons by escaping Artemis and her man-hating maidens.

"Apollo, I do believe we have to talk. Now!" Poseidon stated firmly, as he stood next to his nephew. Apollo gulped slightly, before his grin returned. Ultimately he had no reason to fear Poseidon. He has been an awesome teacher and patron for Percy after all.

When Artemis returned to the camp of her Hunters she was met by her lieutenant, Zoe Nightshade. The demi-titan looked questioningly at her mistress when she saw the ferocious smirk on Artemis face.

"What are your orders, my lady?"

"Gather your sisters, we have to hunt!"

"May I ask what we are going to hunt, my lady? Whatever it is, you seem to anticipate it greatly."

"Lord Zeus has given us orders to hunt down Percy Jackson and bring him to Olympus." A malicious smirk spread on Zoe's lips, not unlike the expression of her mistress. Finally they would have a chance to get back at the presumptuous boy for his audacity, without having to fear Poseidon's or Apollo's wrath.

Unbeknownst to them, at Yancy Academy, one twelve year old student with black hair and sea-green eyes shuddered, as he felt like his entire life would suddenly become even more dramatic than it already was. Little did he know what would await him in the near future.

* * *

**A\N: Okay, the hunt is on. This story will be parallel to the Lightning Thief, but Percy won't be the one to be concerned with it too much. There will be a Quest to find the Bolt, but Percy will merely meet them, maybe help them a bit. But this story is more about him and the prophecy. Well I can't tell much more without Spoilers and I'm sure no one wants that.**

**I know there was nothing about Percy in this chapter, but I believe this was still a very important part. To show more about how exactly Apollo met his champion and how the other gods are involved. I hope the gods weren't too ooc.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was already late when Percy finally made it back to Yancy Academy. Dark clouds hid the moon and the stars from sight. A storm was brewing, but oddly there was no sight of lightning yet. It was curious, but he did not ponder it for long, as he sneaked into his dorm room. All he wanted now was to sleep. To finally rest and hopefully get Apollo's awful music out of his head.

Much to his disliking he was woken up early the next day, though this time not by his patron, but by someone else banging on his door. "Percy Jackson, you will open this door now or you will only get yourself in more trouble than you are already in." A stern female voice admonished him through the door.

Percy groaned as he lifted his head off the pillow. "I'm up. I'm up." He yelled. "Just one moment, Mrs Dodds." Oh how he cursed his luck right now. His least favorite teacher was here, most likely to chew him out for skipping the field trip yesterday.

He dressed quickly, before he opened the door, still only half-awake, to face the wrath of his teacher. Mrs. Dodds looked at him with great displeasure, as he stepped out of his room. As he looked around he saw that many other students were awake, watching the scene from their rooms. Some wore smirks as they all knew what would await Percy now.

"Follow me, Mr Jackson. We will have to talk about your recent... misconduct." Mrs. Dodds said curtly, before she grabbed Percy's arm and lead him down the hallway, past the rooms of his peers. None of them felt pity for him, that much was obvious.

But instead of the principal's office, where be thought she would lead him, she brought him to an abandoned backyard. It was odd, but he quickly realized that maybe the teacher he had learned to dislike was more than she seemed.

"Now, Percy Jackson, you will tell me everything." Mrs Dodds said, her voice suddenly raspy and deeper than before. "And don't you dare lie to me."

"Mrs Dodds, I know that I shouldn't have skipped that field trip, but..."

"Where are they? Where have you hidden the bolt and the helmet, you little thief?" She started circling around him, like a predator around its prey.

"Bolt? Helmet? What are you talking about?" He turned towards his teacher, only to see that she was gone. "Mrs Dodds?"

"Tell me, boy!"

The voice came from higher up, so Percy looked in that direction, only to see a bat-like creature hanging from one of the ledges. "Wow... you are really an old bat!" Percy stated, though he was less surprised than Mrs Dodds had expected him to be.

"I shall force the answers out of you then."

"Or you can take the scenic route back to the Hades." Percy said, as he tapped the amulet her wore underneath his clothes. Moments later he had his sword in hand, his bow on his back, as a quiver full of arrows dangled on his hip.

"You! The symbol of Apollo!"

"I what? Care to tell me why this upsets you so? You should be used to explaining things twice to me." Percy mocked lightly, as he tried to remember what he had heard about Furies. "Or would you care to explain to me why a there is a Fury at my school?"

"Hand over what you have stolen, half-blood!" With a furious screech, the Fury attacked Percy, diving down from her perch, claws ready to pierce him.

Only narrowly he avoided the Fury's attack, jumping to the side as he did so. "Stupid monsters with their stupid delusions." Percy muttered, as he pushed himself up from the ground, only to be knocked down again by another attack.

The Fury turned around again, to finish him off with her third attack, but unlike before, Percy was now back on his feet, his swords tightly grasped in both of his hands. "Come on, show me what you've got, you overgrown bat." He challenged.

He ignored the Fury's piercing shriek, though it hurt his ears greatly. Instead he remained steadfast, his sword raised, awaiting the incoming attack of the monster. As the Fury descended upon him, he swung his sword in a wide arc, pressing it down with all his strength as it met resistance. The monster let out another piercing shriek, as it hit the ground hard and ceased all movement.

"What a nice workout for a Saturday morning..." Percy huffed, breathing hard as he tried to calm himself down. His ears were still ringing, and his body ached slightly from when he had to evade the Fury on the hard stone floor of the backyard. He looked around, only to see that the monster was still there, though its only movement was the rise and fall of its chest now. His grip on his sword tightened, as he walked over to his fallen foe.

The fury looked up at him with utmost contempt when she saw him standing above her, ready to end her visit to the mortal world. "You may have bested me, but you will pay for stealing from Hades. Your father won't save you, son of Poseidon."

Percy could not understand her, his hearing still hampered from the shrieking before. He looked at the Fury for some more moments, before he stabbed his sword into her chest, turning the monster to dust.

"Damn monsters... guess this means good by Yancy. Hope Apollo knows how to continue from here on." Percy muttered as he made his weapons disappear. He started to brush some off his clothes, as he wandered back to his dorm-room. He had to pack, to get away before more monsters would come. As much as he disliked most of his fellow students here, he did not want them to suffer because of him.

The other students muttered as he walked past them, some still smirking, thinking that he had gotten himself in trouble. But Percy ignored them, not that he would have heard any of the things they said. Though his hearing got slightly better, his ears were still ringing.

The moment he had entered his room, he grabbed a bag and started stuffing it with things. Spare clothes, a pouch full of Drachmas that Apollo had given him not long ago. Most of the things he would take with him were gifts from Apollo. Even a bag filled with Ambrosia cubes and a flask full of Nectar.

He took one of the Ambrosia cubes and started chewing on it, hoping that it would allow him to regain his hearing. Meanwhile he thought about his next step, playing around with his amulet. Hades had found him, a Fury was the obvious sign for that. And they knew whose son he was. He still remembered the story Apollo had told him about what happened the last time one of the big three had broken the oath.

Thalia Grace, though he had only met her briefly, he still remembered her. It was mere weeks after Apollo had taken him in, when his patron sent him out with an easy task. To give three demigods some weapons and money, so they could safely make it to Camp Half-blood. It was an easy enough task, a favor for Hermes, since one of the three was a son of him. Percy met Thalia, handed over the bag and disappeared as quickly as he had come, just like Apollo had asked of him. Only later Percy found out that Thalia never made it safely to the camp. She nearly died trying to protect her friends, only to be turned into a tree by her own father. It was one of the rare moments Percy had seen a somberly Apollo. The usually happy god of the sun lamented Thalia's fate that day, citing that he 'hated it when pretty girls turn into trees'.

All that happened because of Hades' anger. Anger at his younger brother for breaking their oath. The children always had to suffer for their parents misdeeds. And now that Hades knew that Poseidon has broken the oath as well... Percy knew that his only chance was to get away. He had to find Apollo, quickly...

He was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Percy had neither seen nor heard anyone enter, so in his sudden surprise he believed it to be an attacker. He knocked the hand off of his shoulder as he quickly turned around, his sword once more in his hand. Only in the last moment he managed to stop himself, else he would taken off the head of one of his best friends, Grover Underwood.

"Wow, wow, Percy, stop! It's me, Grover! Don't kill me buddy, please..." Grover looked pale as he stared wide-eyed at Percy, whose sword was still touching the skin of his throat.

Percy relaxed, when he saw Grover. Letting out a deep breath, he allowed his sword to return to the amulet, before he sat down on his bed. "Man, Grover, don't surprise me like that. Not on days like this..."

"Percy... why do you have a sword?" Grover asked carefully, still somewhat worried that Percy might still try to take his head off.

"Make an educated guess." Percy replied, as he returned to packing his bag.

"Your leaving?"

"I just turned the old bat into dust, I doubt I can stay for long."

"What are you talking about, Percy?" Grover asked nervously. He couldn't stop fidgeting around, as if he suffered from ADHD, just like the demigod before him.

"Don't play dumb, Grover. Or else I will have to take you to that new restaurant, that has opened two blocks away. I heard that they serve excellent mutton." Percy grinned coldly at Grover, pleased that his words had the intended effect on the not so human boy. Grover looked visibly shaken, unsure whether Percy was just kidding or not. Grover thought that he knew Percy Jackson, but finding out that your best friend carries a sword and has better reflexes than an untrained demigod should have... he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Percy, really, you are behaving oddly... are you alright?"

"Last chance, Grover. I have just been attacked by a Fury and you ask me if I'm alright. Are you kidding me?" Percy shook his head in disbelieve, before he closed his bag and picked it up. "Grover, I do know what you are and I know why you are here."

"You know? How?"

"My patron told me. Once you know what to look for, Satyrs can be identified quite easily. The signs are obvious."

"Your patron?" Instead of answering, Percy simply pulled out his amulet and showed it to him. The golden amulet shone in the light, the symbols easily visible. Bow, arrow, sword and lyre. "Apollo..." Grover whispered in disbelieve.

"Now that this is settled, I should leave. If Hades knows I'm here, I should better leave and never look back." Percy said, as he moved towards the door.

"Percy, wait. I'll go with you." Grover quickly followed his friend, hard pressed to keep up with Percy, who did not stop, even when other students mocked him about being kicked out of school. No one stopped Percy, until he had nearly reached the walls around the school.

"Percy, wait." Grover yelled after him, finally getting Percy to stop. "I have to come with you. I need to bring you to the camp and..."

"Don't even think about it, Grover. There is no chance that I will go to that camp. The last child of the big three didn't make it there alive, so I will not even try to go there. And Hades will expect me to act like this. To run to the supposed safety of your beloved camp. Even in the unlikely case that I make it there, I would endanger all other demigods by staying there. Hades wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get back at his brothers."

"But where else will you go?" Grover asked, almost frantic. Getting half-bloods to camp was the only way of action he knew. But he also remembered vividly what Percy meant when he alluded to the incident with Thalia... he couldn't fault Percy for thinking like this. But that also... "Wait... you know who your father is?"

"It was kind of obvious once I started to train in using my powers. And it isn't such a big surprise that in the end Poseidon acted just like Zeus. Both broke the oath just because they couldn't keep it in their pants." Percy couldn't help but snarl slightly when he spoke his father's name. He never knew how to feel about the man who had sired him. Sure he had Apollo, who had taken care of him for years. But the god was more like a big brother and never tried to replace Percy's real father. He never even spoke badly about him. He even defended Poseidon's actions on occasion. But Percy never knew how to feel about Poseidon. Would he call him father, should they ever meet? He really did not know.

"You really shouldn't talk about the gods like that..." Grover said in a frightened whisper. He looked upwards, as if he expected thunder to strike Percy down any second now.

"Don't worry. I doubt that they waste their time to get back at one single demigod. But I have wasted enough time. I need to go. Good bye, Grover. You've been a good friend, although you are a terrible liar."

"Wait. You have to go and see Chiron. He will know what to do. We have to..."

"I told you that I won't go to your camp. I have other plans."

"But Chiron can help. And he needs to know, especially now that..." Grover stopped mid sentence, remembering that there were things that should not be told openly.

"Now what?" Grover did not dare to speak. "Is this about this whole Bolt thing that the Fury has talked about."

"You know about the theft... so Chiron's assumption was right..."

"What? Did your great Chiron believe that I am the thief? Are you kidding me?" Percy asked incredulously. "Grover you know me. I never had the time to steal anything."

"Well you did disappear all of a sudden when this all happened and..."

Percy groaned when he heard this. This was just what he needed. More people hunting him, but this time for another reason. "Just great. Listen, you go to your Chiron and tell him that I am not the thief and that I have to escape Hades for some time."

"But..." Grover tried to protest, but too late. Percy had already climbed over the wall that surrounded the school and was gone. The lone Satyr did not know what to do. Either follow Percy or return to Camp Half-blood. Actually he was already on his way to the camp, since Chiron did not think that Percy would return to the school after his... deed. Grover was merely there to collect some things from his room. But now... he wasn't so sure.

A few hours later Percy arrived his intended location, a large house in the outskirts of Queens, the place where he spent all holidays, when he couldn't stay at his boarding schools. The house was big and much to Percy's relief, had plenty of places to rest and disappear. It was good for all people involved that the house was that big, since both Apollo and Hermes sometimes brought their dates here. Percy had no wish to meet any of those women...

But now it would give him shelter until Apollo would show up. He would know what to do. Apollo would find a way to stop Hades. But as Percy arrived at the house, he saw something that caused him to groan in annoyance. Hunters. They were crawling all over the place. He had to hide in the bushes of the garden to avoid getting caught.

"Just my luck. I knew that one day Lady Artemis would send them to hunt me down for interfering." Percy muttered, before he turned to leave.

"Jo, Perce." Someone suddenly whispered behind him. But this time Percy heard the voice and knew who it was. Grover would have had a seizure, had he come into contact with Percy's sword twice in one day.

"What are you doing here?" Percy whispered furiously.

Grover looked slightly unsure, before he answered, "I'm here to come with you. Can't abandon you just like that. I'm your protector after all."

"Protector? Are you high?" He looked at Grover, clearly not believing what he had heard. "I mean look at you. You look like a small wind will blow you over."

Grover wanted to reply, but loud yells from the house suddenly caught their attention. Though they couldn't understand what they were yelling about, Percy suddenly started chuckling.

"I believe they have found Apollo's secret stash of porn mags."

"Why would a god have porn mags?"

"What hot-blooded male doesn't? I mean Apollo has them, Hermes has them, Ares... well I guess he does not need them, he's dating the goddess of lover after all..." Percy replied, as he watched the building, especially a furious looking Zoe running out of the house. He already pitied his patron, the Hunters will definitely castrate him the next time they see him.

"Perce..." Grover said, his voice suddenly quivering. When Percy turned around he saw Grover, with a hunting knife at his throat, a lone Huntress behind him.

"Great..." Percy muttered in annoyance.

"You two are not very good at hiding. Be glad that Zoe is currently busy throwing a fit about perverted gods and men." The Huntress said, before she pushed Grover towards Percy and sheeted her knife.

"Well it would have been easier without goat-boy." Percy replied with a smirk. "But wait, I know you."

"I would hope so. You saved my life just yesterday. Both by killing that Hellhound and by tending to my wound." The girl said with a slight smile. "My name is Ariadne."

"I'm Percy, the quivering mess over there is Grover."

"I will let you leave without telling the others, but just this time." Ariadne said. "But be careful. Lady Artemis has orders from Lord Zeus to hunt you down. But I have no doubt that she would do it even without his orders." Her smirk grew even more as she said the last part.

Grover meanwhile looked oddly at Percy, when he heard Ariadne's words. "Just how many gods have you pissed off, Percy?" He asked incredulously.

"Dunno, one or two. Most dislike me on principle because of who my father is. But some are cool." Percy shrugged.

"Go, they are busy right now and Lady Artemis is not here. But that will change soon."

"Why are you helping me?" Percy was curious about her reasons. So far most Hunters would simply shoot him and not ask questions, let alone talk to him in such a friendly manner.

"Two reasons. I owe you for saving my life."

"And the other reason?"

"My father." She seemed coy all of a sudden. Though it didn't last for long.

Percy looked at her oddly, before it dawned upon him. "Your father is Apollo. You have his eyes and hair color." And truly, she had the same blond hair and clear blue eyes that Apollo had. Even her smirk was oddly reminiscent of him.

"Yes. Since you are my father's champion I feel obliged to help you. But don't expect more from now on. I cannot and will not betray my mistress if I can help it. Lady Artemis has been good to me, she has taken care of me after my mother was gone."

"We are alike in many ways, you and I. I hope we will get another chance to talk, sometime in the future. You are pretty cool for a Hunter."

"I'm sure we will. You are different from most men I've met so far. And we are hunting you after all, so I guess we will inevitably meet again." She replied with a smirk. "Now shoo."

Percy and Grover had no need to be told twice. They quickly left the garden, to escape Artemis' Hunters. Their problems had just grown, but at least they knew that not all people who were hunting Percy at the moment were his enemies. Maybe things would work out somehow.

* * *

**A\N: Okay, another chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**There is not much to say about all of this. I mentioned how Percy views Apollo, since this has been a topic in the past. I just never saw Apollo as a father figure for Percy. But he is a much better Person for a big brother type of character. And Poseidon wouldn't like to see someone take his son away from him in that way and Apollo, even though he is the strongest of the gods outside of the six oldest, is weary of making an enemy out of Poseidon. **

**In fact there is only one more thing I want to say before I am done for today. The OC Hunter, Ariadne, is not meant for a pairing. Though she will become closer to Percy she will not be romantically involved with him. Just think about what Apollo would think about Percy dating one of his daughters... And there are enough girls from the orginal books to choose from.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A\N: kay once more to make this clear. This was my story and I had deleted it some months ago. I have decided to reupload my stories because of some good friends here on FF who persistently bugged me about it. So there you have it...  
**

**And yes, once I have fully reuploaded this story I will also upload the sequel, which is by now 3 chapters longer than it had been at the time when I deleted it...**

* * *

Chiron was restless, as he sat on the porch of the Big House at Camp Half-blood. He pondered his situation, wondering where he had erred. For nearly a year he had watched a young demigod, Percy Jackson, whom he believed to be a child of one of the big three.

The boy was much more powerful than he had anticipated. A prodigy no doubt, but he had no proof as to who the boy's godly parent could be. Chiron had spent much time and resources on watching this boy, the great prophecy always in mind.

But less than a day before, all came crashing down. Percy disappeared and not long after there was turmoil. Earlier Dionysus had returned from a meeting at Olympus with worrying news. Zeus Master Bolt has been stolen and the eldest gods were quarreling. Dionysus wouldn't tell more, calling it a dreadful waste of time, whatever he meant by that.

But Chiron was worried about Percy's possible connection to the theft. His sudden disappearance and unexpected strength were highly suspicious. First he believed that Percy had just run from school, or worse, was attacked and possibly killed by monsters. Students just don't disappear without a trace. But neither he nor Grover could find any traces to him when they returned from the field trip, not even his scent.

And now they had to send out a group of demigods with the quest to find the Bolt. He was careful when he advised his students about who should come with them and how to prepare for this task. If Percy was responsible for the theft, he could be a very dangerous foe.

His pondering was interrupted when another person entered the porch. At first he thought it was one of the demigods, since the person appeared to be a girl, no older than twelve or thirteen. But then he saw her aura, the golden glow that only surrounded immortals and gods. When he looked closer he recognized the scowling goddess that stood before him.

"Lady Artemis, how can I be of service today." He asked courteously, though he couldn't keep the confusion out of his voice. Her presence did only worry him more. She rarely came to the camp, mostly because the demigods here had a habit off annoying her Hunters.

"Chiron, still busy minding all those nosy demigods I see."

"Someone has to teach them the things they need to know to survive." Chiron replied, slightly irritated. "But I'm sure you have not come to discuss the upbringing of the demigods here at camp. So how can I help you?"

"Straight to the point, as always." He could have sworn that she had shown a tight lipped smirk, but it disappeared as fast as it had come. "I am here because of one particular demigod that my brother has taken interest in. I need to know whether he is here at the camp."

Chiron had a really bad feeling when he heard that. He really hoped that he was wrong, just this time. "And what is the name of the demigod you are looking for?"

"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon and champion of Apollo."

"I should have known..." Chiron replied dejectedly. "Wait, you said he is the champion of Apollo?"

"Yes, my idiot brother has taken care of the boy since he was seven years old."

"No, no. This is not good." Chiron muttered, as he remembered a part of the prophecy the oracle had given to the group that went out to retrieve the Master Bolt. "This means a lot of trouble..."

"So you know Perseus."

"Yes... it is... likely that he has stolen the Master Bolt..." Chiron said almost hesitantly. "And this means far greater problems since he is the champion of Apollo..."

"Clarify that. What exactly are you talking about?" Her demand came out harshly. It would have frightened any normal mortal or demigod, but Chiron had seen much in his long life and often encountered angry gods. But it was still unsettling, when Artemis narrowed her eyes in displeasure.

"We have sent a group of demigods to retrieve the Master Bolt... part of their prophecy spoke about a god who has turned and..."

Artemis let out a humorless laugh, as she regarded Chiron with a pitying look. "Make no mistake. My brother may be foolish, but he would never betray Olympus. Not as long as my mother and I are there at the very least. And Perseus cannot be the thief. When the Bolt was stolen he was with me and my Hunters in the wilderness."

Chiron let out a relieved sigh, when he heard that his assumptions were wrong. It soothed his mind to know that he had not misjudged Percy. But at the same time he was worried, worried that a demigod could have fooled him like this. Never would Chiron have believed that Percy knew more about the gods than what he had taught him at school.

"You have not answered my question, though. What do you know about Perseus Jackson?"

"I thought he was a normal demigod. A powerful one, the son of one of the big three. But never had I any idea that he was actually in league with one of the gods. He always seemed to be as oblivious as any other mortal. I posed as a teacher at his school to see whether he was ready to come to this camp."

"And where is he now?" Artemis pressed on, not interested in the background story. All she was here for was to find a lead on her target. She had no time to waste. To her brother this was just a game to ridicule her Hunters, she had to prove him wrong.

"The last time I have seen him, was two days ago, during his lesson with me. He should have come along on a field trip yesterday, but he had disappeared without a trace. Maybe he has come back to the school by now. I have a Satyr there. I could try and send him an Iris Message, maybe he has seen Percy."

"Do that." Artemis commanded sternly, before she started pacing. She did not like to wait. She had someone to hunt, a way to show her brother that she was the superior hunter. But all she could do at the moment was wait.

She watched as Chiron tried to contact that Satyr. It took a few moments before the rainbow formed and they could see the pale face of Grover Underwood on the other side.

"Grover? What is this, where are you?" Chiron asked in confusion, as he saw the place where Grover was. "Shouldn't you be at the school?"

"Chiron... I..." Grover looked unsure, even more so when he saw Artemis standing next to Chiron.

"Grover, come on. I have the tickets and..." A voice could be heard behind Grover. Then he appeared on the scene, Percy Jackson. "Grover, what are you doing?" Then Percy saw the two faces in the rainbow. He recognized his Latin teacher immediately, but when he saw the other one he did a double take. "Artemis? Oh shit... Grover, come on." Percy pulled the stunned Satyr away from the rainbow and towards a large building not far away.

Chiron looked worried when the message ended. Grover was obviously with Percy, but why did they both react like this to seeing Artemis?

"What was that building they have entered?"

"Grand Central Terminal, they must be planning to leave New York. But why did they look so worried about seeing you, Lady Artemis?"

"I have orders to hunt down Perseus Jackson and bring him to Olympus. My father does not trust him enough to let him run around unchecked. Now excuse me, I have to hunt an insolent demigod."

Chiron said nothing more as Artemis flashed away. He felt confused at the moment, a feeling that he had not experienced very often in recent years. Yes, Percy was a child of the big three, but why would Zeus send Artemis and her Hunters after him to capture him? Just what has the boy gotten himself into?

* * *

On Olympus three gods were currently huddled together, discussing their newest plans. Apollo and Hermes were grinning widely as they explained their newest scheme to a stoic Hephaestus. The latter only listened to his half-brothers' explanations, showing no outward sign of approval or refusal.

"Come on, Hephaestus, this will be the biggest show since 'Hercules busts heads'. My champion, outrunning an evil cult of man-hating maidens. This will be awesome." Apollo said almost giddily. At first he offended by his father's lack of trust in him, but he was always one to find a way to turn everything to his favor. This was free and valuable training for Percy and would be fun to watch.

"Not to mention that many already started to place bets on how long he will last." Hermes added with an impish look. "Many more would join if they could watch all of this."

"Really? They already started betting on Percy?" Apollo asked with a wide grin. This was better than he had thought.

"Yeah, Ares thinks Percy will only survive a day at most, while Enyo and Eris placed a bet that he will escape for more than a week." Hermes chuckled as he showed his brothers a large bag filled with Drachma.

Apollo shivered slightly when he heard the name of Ares sister and her best friend. His memories of those two were never very fond. "Those two only hope that Artemis embarrasses herself, so they can go and cause some chaos while hunting for Percy themselves."

"Don't remind me."

"So, will you help us, Hephaestus? Come on, be cool for once."

Hephaestus sighed when he saw his brother's pleading faces. Seeing their childish glee made him feel so much older than he already was, it was almost like children begging their grandfather to give them some sweets. "You two are unbelievable." He shook his head once more. "I know I will probably regret helping you two, but fine. I will make sure that you get an automaton with a camera that can follow your little champion. I hope that it will be a better show than all those reality-series."

"Thanks, brother." Apollo clapped him enthusiastically on the shoulder, at least until Hephaestus regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

"This won't take long, you will have your camera when you have finished your duties." He stressed the last word especially, to remind Apollo of what he had obviously forgotten in his enthusiasm.

"Duty... oh right... gotta get back to my chariot." He grinned widely at his brothers. "See you later guys.

* * *

Percy and Grover sat in companionable silence, as they watched the land pass by their window. A few hours ago they had boarded a train that would take them west. Away from New York and the Hunters. Though Percy wasn't showing it on the outside, he was worried greatly by his sudden situation.

Two of the big three sent out their people to hunt him down. Hades would not stop sending monsters after him, not until he had his revenge on both his brothers. He had already succeeded once and that was very disconcerting.

On top of that he also managed to attract the much unwanted attention of Zeus. The King of Olympus had sent his daughter to hunt him down. While that was at least slightly better than being hunted by monsters, he still did not entertain the idea of become Artemis' prisoner.

And Apollo... he had no idea why his patron did not answer his prayers. Surely Apollo knew what was going on. He wouldn't miss something this big. But why was he ignoring it? Why was he ignoring his champion? But Percy wouldn't even think about Apollo willingly abandoning him in such a situation. Apollo was like a big brother to him. An annoying big brother, but a trustworthy person none the less. And Percy knew that he was absolutely loyal to the man who had saved him years ago, the man who had given him a new home and a reason to live.

But if Apollo had not abandoned him then... "Oh come on. A test? I hate unannounced tests..." Percy exclaimed in annoyance. He looked up to where the sun should be at this time of the day, but all he could see were angry clouds. But he still knew that the sun was there. Ever since he got Apollo's blessing he could always tell where the sun was at the moment, even when he was in a place with no view of the sky. It was weird, he just knew that it was there. He had wondered before if Apollo's children felt this connection even stronger than him. Likely, but he had never met any of his patron's children, well except Ariadne, but they had no time to chat yet.

Grover jerked up when he heard Percy's words, before he had drifted off to sleep. "Wha... what? Perce, everything alright." He asked worried.

"Yeah. I just realized that I have landed myself in another random test of my patron, who obviously enjoys watching me squirm and run from all kinds of danger."

"Are you sure?" Grover asked in disbelieve.

"No, I just dreamed all of this and I will wake up in Vegas, in a nice hotel bed, with pretty girls lying all around me." Percy replied sarcastically.

"What?"

"Just something Hermes said to me once... forget it, I was just being sarcastic again."

"So, Percy..." Grover stopped for a moment, unsure about how to formulate his question. In the end he resolved to just ask right out. "How many of the gods do you know? I mean personally..."

"Really know? None I would say. It's impossible to fully understand them. I mean Apollo and Hermes can act like childish prankster one moment, while on other occasions they also have some very dark traits. It sent shivers down my spine when Apollo told me about how he punished one of his demigod sons for disobeying him..."

"I would have never guessed that you knew any of the gods... I mean you have always been so..."

"Oblivious?" Percy finished with a smirk. "I can be quite an airhead sometimes, but people expect me to be like that all the time, so they start underestimating me. But deep down I'm just myself. Percy Jackson, a boy with ADHD and dyslexia, as well as a natural aversion to everything connected to school and Nancy Bobofit."

Both chuckled for a few moments, as Percy mentioned the school bully who had always liked to pester Grover. "You know, in the end it was no surprise that the teacher that favored Nancy the most was actually an overgrown bat monster from hell."

"Have you met many of the gods? I mean they rarely show themselves, especially to their children. We Satyrs see even less of them. It's like they are in a whole different world." Grover said quietly. He looked around wearily, as if he was afraid that a god might take offense and punish him.

"I've met a few because of Apollo." Percy said with a grin. "Well there is Hermes, Apollo's favorite partner in crime and as he said it, 'best Wingman ever'. When I was younger I thought he was talking about the wings on Hermes' shoes, but I'm not so sure anymore." All of Percy's memories of Hermes were very fond, since the god of thieves was always fun to have around. "Well and then there is Artemis. I believe you have seen how she thinks about me."

"Have you offended her or something? Everyone knows that she dislikes all men, but when that Hunter said that she would hunt you even without her father's orders... it seemed kind of over the top, you know."

"Don't I know it, buddy. Wanna know what I did to offend her so?" Grover nodded enthusiastically, curious to know the truth. "I was born as a male." Percy simply stated.

"That's it?"

"Mostly. I mean Apollo often sends me out to aid her Hunters, but they just don't like me because I'm a boy. It's not fair. Had I been born as a girl they would have hugged and celebrated me as a hero for helping them..." Percy whined lightly. "Oh well, and last but not least there is Ares. I don't know what to think about him. When I first saw him I thought that some rocker had slammed face first into a wall... in the end it was I who got slammed against a wall... repeatedly."

"I don't think I understand what you mean."

"Ares appears like once or twice a year to gauge my progress, at least he says that is the reason. But all he ever did was beating me to a bloody pulp. When he found out that I heal in water he started throwing me in rivers when he is done, instead of calling for Apollo to heal me."

"Must be harsh..."

"Yeah, but I got better in recent years. Last time I nearly got away with only a few broken bones. But I think I have finally figured out a way to beat him this year. I'm actually looking forward to our fight."

"Only you, Percy, only you. Do you even realize how much most kids at camp would give to be around the gods as often as you are? Heck you spend more time with their fathers than they do themselves... most have never even seen their godly parent."

"I got lucky, I guess..."

"Yeah, but..."

"Wait, Grover." Percy suddenly said, as he looked to the other end of the train cart they were currently in. "Wasn't this cart like... crowded when we boarded the train?"

"Yeah..." Grover said, as he looked around fearfully. All seats were empty, except for three old women, sitting not far away from them, busy knitting something. "Oh no. No. NO." Grover said frantically.

"G-man, are those three who I think they are?" Percy asked carefully, his eyes on the thing they were knitting. He suddenly felt the urge to get closer, to walk over to them as if someone had beckoned him.

"Percy, no. Don't go to them. Don't even look at them..."

But it was in vain, Percy was already up and approached the three old women slowly. "Those are very big socks." Percy stated dumbly, as he stopped next to them, his eyes still fixed on the threads they were using.

"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon." One of the three said with a raspy voice, as they all looked at him sternly. "You know who we are."

"The Fates."

"Correct, demigod. We are the apportioners. We decide life and death. No one can defy us. Yet you tried to defy your own fate and you live."

"I defied fate? How?"

"When you made the decision that lead to your mothers death. When you altered your fate and denied your place in the Great Prophecy. We don't know how you did it, but don't think we will let you go unpunished. The prophecy may no longer hold you, but your fate will forever be tied to it in other ways. You and all those whose destinies you have changed. Fate cannot be cheated."

Percy was speechless when he heard the Fate's words. He didn't even listen to the end. His mind was still stuck at the part where they said that his mother died because of his decision, because he defied fate...

"What do you mean 'I made the decision that killed my mother'?" He asked almost hoarsely.

"You mother was not meant to die that day, when you ran from her. Neither were you meant to meet any of the gods at such a young age. You somehow defied fate and with that you did not just alter your fate, but the fates of many."

"I... I don't even know what I did. I was seven when my mother died. How could I defy fate?"

"We will find out how. We will be watching you closely, son of Poseidon." The old woman in the middle suddenly took out her large scissors and cut the yarn, that the other two held up. For a moment Percy thought he would be done for and that they would cut his lifeline. A cold shiver went down his spine as he heard the snipping sound, but nothing happened to him. Their last words were echoing through his mind once more, as the three old women disappeared, leaving him alone in the train cart with an obviously frightened Satyr.

He slowly walked back to Grover and patted the Satyr supportive on the shoulder. "Snap out of it, G-man, the Fates are gone." He said, before he dropped on his seat. He felt very tired now. In less than a day his life had become very difficult and somehow he couldn't shake the feeling, that in the end it was all his own fault.

* * *

**A\N: And as a short notice, the two goddesses Hermes mentioned, Enyo and Eris are minor goddesses and companions of Ares. Enyo is his twin sister and the minor goddess of war. She is responsible for orchestrating the destruction of cities and is known to cause bloodshed and misery, together with Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord. I merely mentioned them to show some other gods than the usual big twelve. Whether or not they will ever have a real appearance in the story is something that I cannot say yet. Maybe in a sequel or something. And make no mistake, though Enyo is the greek goddess of war she is not the counterpart to Bellona, Reyna's mother and the roman goddess of war. They are not the like Ares and Mars.**


	5. Chapter 5

He paced restlessly in the dimly lit room, his face contorted with a worried frown. He had tried anything to keep himself occupied, to divert his attention, at least for a short while. But it was no use. Nothing could stop him from wondering.

Had he made the right decision? Was it really worth it, to place the children in this kind of danger? Especially at this time, when Zeus was searching far and wide for the thief of his Master Bolt. It was a gamble, he knew it would be.

He gazed through a window, out into the darkness. A place where the sun would not reach. He would see whether the boy would be truly worthy of helping him. Everything was set in motion. At first he had considered sending one of his servants to get the children. But that would have given away the identity of the their father. Too risky.

The better choice was to hide them in plain sight. Let them think they were normal demigods, like all those other little orphans. They wouldn't know about them before it would be too late to interfere.

* * *

When Percy woke up he was still sitting in the same train cart, Grover snoring loudly next to him. He had a strange dream. The lingering feeling he got from it was still disconcerting, though the dream's content had already eluded his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember it.

He looked over to Grover, who had started drooling. Percy decided that he would rather not find out what the Satyr was dreaming about, so he looked out of the window, only to see that the sun had set and that there was only pitch black darkness left.

"Just what have I done wrong to be in this mess..." Percy mumbled. "What is up with you, Apollo? Why won't you just show yourself to me and tell me what this all is about?" He wasn't angry with Apollo. No, all he felt was slight disappointment and worry. "Stupid tests."

Grover stirred slightly, but he did not wake up. Instead he blated and started muttering. "No... stay here. Here enchilada, come back to Grover..."

Percy grinned when he heard that, but the sight of Grover drooling on himself while dreaming about food... it wasn't his exact idea of fun. "Jo, G-man, stand up." But it was no use, Grover continued dreaming... and drooling. "Grover, they have free enchiladas in the dining cart!" He said a little louder than before.

"Enchiladas? What? Were?" Grover suddenly shot up, looking wide awake. Percy nearly fell off his seat as he started laughing at his Satyr companion. "It was a trick?" Grover asked with a disappointed look on his face.

"Sorry, but you had started drooling and all." Percy said between laughs.

"Now I'm hungry."

"Yeah, yeah." Percy looked away, to something outside of the window. "Look. We will arrive soon." Not far from them they could already see the lights of the big city. They were approaching their destination quickly and, hopefully, they would get some peace there.

"So, what will we do now? What is our plan?" Grover asked.

"I don't know. Survive would be a good start." Percy replied with a carefully guarded expression on his face. He knew how easily Grover got scared, so he tried to hide his own worry. "I have to survive for as long as it takes for Apollo to come and get me out of this mess. You though... once we leave this train we should part ways. They are after me, not you." Percy said, as he looked at his friend. "Return to your camp. Be safe there."

"I can't." Grover replied indignantly. "I'm..."

"My protector. Yes, you already said that before. But G-Man, really, you can't help me. I've been fighting monsters for years now. I know how to survive, but you..."

"Percy, I can fight. I know I've failed before when Thalia died, but I can do this."

"Wait a sec. You were with Zeus' daughter when she was turned into a tree?" Percy looked incredulously at the Satyr.

Grover looked away, ashamed of his last failure. "Yes... I was the Satyr who found her and two other demigods. I tried to bring them to the camp, but... Hades' anger knew no bounds."

"And even though you knew that it did not work the last time, you still tried to get me to go to that camp of yours?"

"It's the safest place for a demigod to be..." Grover defended his actions weakly. "It's the thing all Satyrs are told to do when they find a demigod..."

"What has really happened?" Percy asked after some long moments of silence. "With Thalia, I mean." He clarified, when Grover did not answer immediately. It was a question that had bugged him for years. Ever since he found out who his father really is. He always knew that he would one day be on Hades hit list, Apollo's champion or not. He wanted to know what went wrong, so he would not repeat those mistakes. But Apollo had never been very forthcoming with information of the night that Zeus' daughter was turned into a tree.

"There were three demigods, Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. When I found them they had already been on the run from monsters for some time. I... convinced them to go to Camp Half-blood, for their own safety. But... I failed. I should have guided them safely to the camp, but we ran into monsters nearly all the time." Grover looked really down, his voice quiet, somber. "We had nearly reached the camp, when a large number of monsters appeared and..."

"And Thalia nearly died, so the rest of you could live." Percy finished for his friend. Grover nodded silently. He didn't even dare to look at Percy at that moment. "Don't beat yourself up, Grover. There is nothing you could have done. You are one Satyr, you had no chance against all the monsters under Hades' command." He patted Grover on the arm.

Suddenly the train jerked and the lights went out. "What in the name of..." Percy cursed, he fell out of his seat. Again the train shook as if it was hit by something big. He tried to stand up, but Grover fell on him, when the train cart they were in was finally knocked over. Loud sounds of creaking and breaking metal, mixed with the screams of frightened people left no doubt that the entire train had been attacked and knocked from its tracks.

"Grover?" Percy asked in between coughs.

"Yeah?"

"Are we dead yet?" He didn't know why that was the first question that had entered his mind, but it isn't a daily occurrence to sit in a train that had jumped the rails.

"No man, I don't think so."

"Then get your furry ass off of me. You are heavy, do you know that. I think we have to cut down your enchilada consume."

Almost instantly the satyr jumped up and away from Percy, who took some deep breaths, now that the weight had been lifted off his chest. "What has happened?" Grover merely shrugged his shoulders, as he searched the now destroyed cart for their bags. "We need to move, we are not far from the city. There we will be safer from monsters and the Hunters. Out here we are just begging to be hit by an arrow."

As Percy started to look for a way to get out of the cart, Grover suddenly started to fiddle around with his trousers, much to the obvious annoyance of his demigod companion. "Grover, this is so not the time to undress. And..."

"No, I can move better without." The Satyr defended his actions, as he pulled down his pants and revealed the goat half of his body.

Percy did not reply anything, but instead he crawled over to one of the broken windows. "I think I've found a way out. Come on, Grover. Time to leave." He kicked a view glass shard that were still blocking their path, breaking the sharp obstacles, so they could pass without problem.

But outside of the train they were still in danger. The darkness around them seemed to swallow everything that was more the a few feet away. The entire train was a wreck now, even a small fire was burning in a cart not far away from them.

"What now?" Grover asked with a worried look, as he saw the destruction around them.

"We have to run. The longer we stay, the more danger we will be in." Percy was about to run, when suddenly a hulking figure appeared behind him, on the other side of the train. At first he could only see the outline of a humanoid creature, but as it got closer Percy saw that it must be a small giant. That was until he saw the creatures face. And its eye. Its one, single eye, in the middle of the face.

"Perseus Jackson! Your path will end here!" The creature, a Cyclops announced loudly.

"Great, of course it had to be something missing from your damn list!" Percy muttered. Grover looked confused, not knowing whom Percy was talking to, but the look on his friend's face made it clear that this was not the time for stupid questions.

Two more Cyclopes appeared behind the one that had spoken to them, all three looking down at Percy with grim determination. "Oh come on. Three Cyclopes? Why not send your whole army like you did last time, uncle dearest? Get it over with." Percy yelled loudly. He had no idea whether Hades had heard him or not, but the next thing that could be heard was howling. The howling of many monsters.

"Aw, me and my big mouth." Percy cursed, before he grabbed Grover's arm and started running. "Come on, Grover, or do you want to end up as a chew toy for Hades' Hellhounds?" They quickly disappeared into the dark night, three Cyclopes and a horde of Hellhounds hot on their heels.

* * *

After the unsuccessful raid on Apollo's house, Artemis Hunters had returned to their camp on Long Island. Their disappointment was great, that they had not even found a clue to the whereabouts of their target. The disappointment was only rivaled by the disgust and anger directed at the sun-god, caused by all the things they had found in his house. Artemis had told them before to be weary of what they could find, simply because of the general use of the house, but it did nothing to help them when they actually found more than just hints at Apollo's favorite pastime.

Most Hunters sat around a fire, talking animatedly, as they waited for their Lady's return. Artemis had not returned since they she had gone to visit Camp Half-blood the day before. But it did not worry the Hunters that she was gone for longer periods of time, she had done that before and still always managed to be there, when her Hunters needed her.

But for the Hunters this meant waiting. And in the middle of a hunt no less. They were eager for a good hunt, for a fight. And the fact that for once they were ordered to capture someone, instead of just killing monsters, fueled this eagerness.

The only Hunters who had not yet joined their sisters around the fire were Zoe and Ariadne. The former was oddly silent since they had returned from Apollo's house and the latter was in deep thought about her actions the day before.

Ariadne did not regret letting Percy go. She was simply repaying a favor. But at the same time she had betrayed her mistress, her aunt. She often wondered why her aunt seemed to dislike Percy. He had never acted out of the line, has always been helpful and respectful. He had saved the lives of half of the Hunters in this camp. Yet they disliked him, some even seemed to hate him, simply for being a boy.

She finally saw Zoe. The senior huntress was busy sharpening her sword. Ariadne merely leaned against a nearby tree and watched, never saying a word. She knew it would be presumptuous to call Zoe a friend, but Ariadne remembered vividly how Zoe had found her and brought her to Artemis, when she was merely seven years old. Zoe was also the one who had taught her archery and the basic hunting skills. But despite all that, there had always been a distance between them that could not be bridged.

Maybe it was caused by the fact that Ariadne had not yet completely sworn herself to Artemis. Becoming a full hunter would have made her immortal, never aging. No one would have wanted her to be a seven year old forever. But even now, that she had reached the age that some of the girls had joined the Hunters, she had yet to actually accept the vows. But no one had pressed her. At times she wondered whether Artemis was even willing to let her become a full Hunter. She was awfully disappointed about her last failure and that she needed Percy to save her.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, or is there something you wish to ask me, Ariadne?" Zoe asked, without looking away from her sword.

"Not really." Ariadne replied, before she became silent for a few more moments. "Actually there is a question I have had for some time."

"Oh surprise. Suddenly you want me to answer your questions. The last time I gave you advice you blew me off and nearly got yourself killed." Zoe said evenly. It was hard to say whether or not she was willing to answer any questions.

"It is about Percy Jackson."

"Of course it is. I should have known that you would wonder about him. After what has happened recently." Zoe said, finally looking at Ariadne. Black eyes, filled with determination meeting the uncertainty in the blue eyes of Apollo's daughter. "Your encounter had to leave some impression on you. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this."

For a moment Ariadne felt nervous. Had Zoe just hinted that she knew about her actions the day before? Did Zoe know that she had let Percy escape? But why had she not acted yet? Or was she just waiting for Lady Artemis to return...

"Why do you hate him so?" Ariadne asked carefully.

"He is very much like..." Zoe hesitated for a moment, apparently she tried to find the right words to convey what she wanted Ariadne to understand. "He is very much like Hercules. A hero. A charmer. On first glance he might look like a good person, but like all heroes he will eventually abandon the poor girl that allows herself to fall for him." Bitterness could be heard in Zoe's voice as she spoke about the man who many demigods worshiped as their idol. "And he is a son of Poseidon. Nothing good has come from them."

"Your judging him because of the actions of others, but so far he has only aided us."

"Never allow him to fool you. He will be just like his brothers and cousins. You carry the name of a woman who has once made the mistake to love a son of Poseidon. And don't forget Orion, the man who has tried to fool our mistress and tried to force himself on one of our sisters."

"I doubt that my father would have made him his champion if he had seen any possible darkness in Percy's future."

"Your father..." Zoe spoke with barely restrained anger now, "... is one of the worst men. He runs around, abusing and seducing innocent women. All just for his own amusement. He will corrupt Jackson, if he has not already done that."

"Hey, my dad isn't all that bad... I think." Truth be told, Ariadne has never met her father. She had only seen him a few times, when had come to get Percy out of trouble. But she was sure that he was one of the better gods. He at least claimed all of his children. She had known who her father was, long before she met her aunt and the Hunters. She knew why he could never come to see his children and she understood it.

Zoe looked exasperated at her younger companion. To hear her defend her father just made no sense. The man had just used her mother, before he moved on to the next woman he could find. It was no secret, the Apollo Cabin at the Camp was one of the biggest, only rivaled by Hermes' and Aphrodite's. How anyone could love such a father...

"Just don't do anything you will regret later. Men will one day betray you and break your heart if you give them the chance to." Zoe said insistently.

"Are you hinting at something?" Ariadne asked indignantly.

"You feel drawn to him, don't you deny it."

"Are you mad? I am too young to even think about such things. And even if I had entertained such thoughts, it would be none of your business." Ariadne looked angrily at Zoe. She couldn't believe that she would suggest any such thing.

"You have not sworn the oath yet. We don't know where you stand. I know that my Lady cares about you, maybe more than about most of the other Hunters. Maybe it is because of you are the first child of Apollo to join us in over a thousand years. Maybe because you are closer related to her than any of us. The reason doesn't matter, though. By not swearing the oath you are about to become a liability to us." Ariadne tried to protest, but Zoe silenced her quickly and continued. "Before this hunt is over you will have to make your decision. Either you stay with us, where you belong, or you leave us forever." With these words Zoe stood up and returned to her tent.

Ariadne had no idea what to think now. Would she really be forced to make such a decision? No matter what she decided, her life would be changed for ever.

* * *

It cost her quite an effort, but in the end Artemis had finally returned to Olympus, intent on making her brother talk. She was absolutely sure that Apollo would know where Percy would run to. He had taught the boy, he had shown him all the places where he can hide. Forcing Apollo to tell her would at least be quicker and easier, than searching all of North America, when all she knew was that he has left New York in a train.

But when she arrived at his palace on Olympus, he was already waiting for her, smirking widely. He seemed immensely pleased that Artemis had not allowed herself to be blinded by her own pride. No, she had accepted that without him, she would never find Percy. Even though she did not like it, it had to be done.

"Well look who has finally come to pay me a visit." Apollo said, as he opened his arm in an attempt to hug his sister. But she merely side stepped his attempt and gave him a halfhearted glare. Her brother seemed undisturbed by that and continued grinning at her. "So little sis, what can Apollo do for you today."

"You know why I am here."

"Ah, of course. Percy has escaped your Hunters and now you need my help." He seemed to be glowing with excitement now. Her words were the closest thing to a declaration of defeat he could expect from her.

"Where is he?" Artemis asked again, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Apollo tapped his chin, trying to look like he was in deep thought. "Now you know that I won't betray my champion like that. He is awesome enough to escape you this long."

"Apollo, I will..."

"You will do what, Artemis? Your Hunters failed to apprehend him when he was so close, that he would have been able to steal their arrows right out of their quivers, yet they had not managed to capture him, let alone see him." He looked smugly as Artemis remained silent. Apparently she felt slightly shocked by the revelation that her Hunters had failed in their duty like this. "But since I am a good big brother, I will give you a hint." _'Not to mention that I don't wanna lose my bet to Enyo.' _He added in his mind. "There has been a report about a large army of monsters in the wilderness, not far from St. Louis. An unnatural number of Hellhounds to be exact. And if you remember the last time this has happened..."

He needn't say more. Artemis understood what he was alluding to. And judging by the underlying worry in voice, her guess was very close to home. Hades must have found out about Poseidon's son and sent his monsters to hunt him down.

"That is all I need. Thank you, Apollo." She turned around, ready to leave, but Apollo stopped her.

"Artemis. Be careful. Hades is rather violent and heartless when he wants something. He will stop at nothing to get Percy. I would rather see him captured and humiliated by your Hunters, than killed by Hades."

"Don't worry. He'll be here on Olympus in no time." Artemis replied confidently. Without another word she disappeared.

Apollo stood in front of his palace for a few more moments, a worried frown on his face. "It's not just him I'm worried about, sis." He shook his head and turned around to go back inside.

As soon as he had passed the threshold he could already hear loud yelling from inside. "Ouch, that gotta hurt." Someone had exclaimed loudly, amidst raucous laughter of some other people.

As he reentered the main room of his palace, he could already see his guests, all of them seated around a screen, as they watched the newest show on Hephaestus TV. Hermes looked slightly disturbed by what he saw, while Ares, Enyo and Eris only laughed at what they saw. Ever the fans of unneeded violence.

"Hey, sun-boy. Who has been on the door?" Ares asked as he looked over his shoulder to see the approaching god.

"Wouldn't you want to know." Apollo replied with a grin. He wouldn't tell them that he had just met Artemis. Some might see it as cheating, that he had told her where to find Percy. To him it was both a way to win his bet and improve his champion's chances to survive the next few days.

"Hey, that little rascal, he stole that move from me!" Enyo exclaimed angrily, as they watched Percy kill two Hellhounds with on attack.

"Now, now, Enyo, how can he steal your attacks, when you have never met him?" Eris asked. "It's not like someone else in this room has shown them to him." She looked at Ares with an impish smile. Enyo of course saw that and immediately turned on her brother.

"Ares!" She hissed furiously. "You taught him!"

"And what if I have?" Ares asked bored. He glared at his sister in a threatening way to shut her up.

But Enyo was neither impressed nor mollified by her brothers glare. Instead she jumped up and punched him in the face. "I will show you to teach that brat my fighting style!"

Ares jumped up from his seat and caught Enyo's fist, as she tried to hit him again. His sunglasses, which he wore nearly all the time, had been blown away by the first punch, revealing his fiery eyes. A blazing fire that showed only one emotion. Fury. "You damn virago dare to hit me? I will show you whose boss here!"

The other gods were unsure about what to do. Some wanted to watch the show without being troubled, while some watched the quarreling siblings. Eris was one of the latter group. With childish glee she watched her fighting friends.

"Noisy children. Can they never sit still and just keep their mouths shut?" Hephaestus said, as he shook his head sadly. "I should better leave."

"Wow, wow, wait Heph. The show isn't over yet." Apollo tried to convince his brother to stay, but Hephaestus left the room as fast as his crippled leg allowed him to. "Ah great. The one time I try to have a nice evening with my siblings and friends and this is how it ends." He then looked at Ares and Enyo, both still quarreling. "Okay boys and girls, this is enough." He tried to convince them to stop, but neither twin listened to him. In the end they had to forcefully separate Ares and Enyo. Not much later and they would have pulled out their weapons. But it took both Apollo and Hermes to keep their burly brother away from Enyo, while the latter was simply pulled away by Eris, who looked disappointed that her fun had been ruined.

As the two war loving siblings finally cooled down, Apollo finally had time to watch the screen again. It worried him slightly to see the sheer number of beasts that hunted Percy. He really hoped that the boy would survive the night. But then he saw something that caused him to grin like the cat that swallowed the canary. One of the hulking Cyclopes, that was about to hit Percy with its fist, was killed by an arrow through the eye. One lone silver arrow. And he knew that the arrow was not one of Percy's.

* * *

It was almost too easy for Artemis to find the large horde of monsters in the wilderness. Those beasts had never even heard about subtlety. It had been a long time since she had seen this many Hellhounds in one place. It was disturbing to see how far Hades was willing to go, just to get his petty revenge on his brothers. She was glad that she had dismissed the thought of bringing her Hunters with her. Many of them would have died, had they tried to fight here.

But Artemis came alone. Using all the tricks she knew about hunting and remaining unseen by her prey, she traveled on, hidden from the enemies' eyes, though she was close enough that the hounds should have been able to smell her. But they wouldn't attack a goddess. Dumb as they were, they were all drilled to never attack a deity unless they were attacked first.

In a way that made the Hellhounds more intelligent than some mortals she had met in her life. She couldn't help herself but smile as the thought crossed her mind.

Soon she could see what the monsters were hunting. An all to familiar boy and a Satyr. But now she could also see the hulking outlines of the cyclopes. She wondered how Hades had managed to secure the services of three of his brother's children, but one thing was sure. Poseidon would be raving mad, should his son die by the hands of a cyclops.

With great worry she saw the giant creatures catching up with Percy and his Satyr friend. They tried to hit them with their brutish weapons, large clubs that looked more like broken tree, than a weapon. But both Percy and the Satyr managed to evade the attacks with ease. Percy even managed to fight back, wounding one of the Cyclopes enough to make him drop his weapon.

Though she wouldn't admit it in front of anyone, she was slightly impressed by Percy's skills. Her brother had done a thorough job in regards to his training. His skill already rivaled that of some of her older Hunters, though he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Zoe. He fought back, while still trying to increase the distance between him and the approaching Hellhounds.

But then the Satyr hesitated in the wrong moment. A cyclops' fist was about to hit him. The boy seemed to be rooted by fear, unable to move out of the way and would have most likely been crushed. But in the last moment Percy bumped into him, knocking them both down. The attack missed them only by a hair's breadth.

But both were on the ground now and the Cyclops was attacking again. Before she even knew what she was doing, Artemis had already notched an arrow and shot it at the Cyclops, impaling it through its eye, killing it. _'A swift and clean kill, like any true hunter should kill. _Artemis thought smugly, before the realization hit her that she was not supposed to interfere. It was against her father's laws. Though she knew that it was one of the less enforced laws the Olympians had.

She wondered why she had reacted so instinctively. Had it been one of her Hunters, she would have acted like this without second guessing. They were her companions, close to her like daughters. But Percy was not one of them. _'For Apollo. You did it for your brother' _She told herself, before she forced herself to watch the fight again.

Percy and the Satyr were running again. Their distance to the Cyclopes increased, as the other two were unsettled by their brother's sudden death. The Hellhounds passed by them and continued their hunt. And so did Artemis. She would follow Percy until she knew where he was going, so she could capture him. Or at least to find out his destination, so she could get her Hunters and set up a trap. She wouldn't deprive her girls of the fun to capture Percy personally. That is, if Percy survived this night.

The hunt came to its unexpected end, when Percy's way was finally cut off by three more creatures. The Hellhounds surrounded the boy and the Satyr, but none of them attacked. All of them were waiting for something. This was not normal, that much was sure.

When Artemis finally managed to get a glimpse of the three creatures she knew that Percy's escape would end here for sure. The next thing she heard was a raspy voice, exclaiming loudly, "Perseus Jackson. We have been waiting for you..."


	6. Chapter 6

It was deadly silent, as Percy looked at the three creatures in front of him. He and Grover were surrounded by Hellhounds on all sides, their chances to escape now nearly none existent. But none of the creatures attacked. All of them were simply standing there, glowering at him. They were waiting for something, but Percy had no idea what so ever what that could be.

_'So this is how all will end.' _Percy thought glumly. _'So much for following the path of a hero. Can't even safe myself from my uncle's wrath. But I won't go down quietly.' _A fierce determination spread through him. Maybe it was his fate to die today. But he would die a heroes death. Fighting until the very end. An end worthy of Apollo's songs and poems.

His eyes settled on the three before him once more. Those three had simply stared at him since the moment they had stopped his escape. Only one sentence, they didn't say more. Now they were standing there. It took Percy some moments, before he recognized one of the three. A monster that he did not want to see again any time soon.

"You!" Percy raised his sword and pointed it at the creature in the middle. His action caused many of the Hellhounds to growl menacingly. "I killed you not even two days ago. How can you be back so fast?" The one in the middle sent him a withering glare.

"I am a servant of the Lord of the underworld, stupid boy. At least your idiocy was not an act as it seems." The creature replied. "Death is merely a hindrance to us. We return when we are needed."

"Who are you calling stupid, you overgrown bat? I actually liked you better as pre-algebra teacher. Same personality, but not even half as ugly. Come to get revenge for the last time, when I cut you down with ease?" Percy challenged. He wanted her to attack him. It had been her undoing the last time. He knew that the Hellhounds would attack, if he took as much as single step towards the three. And Grover would most likely not be of much use.

"Percy... it is not wise to insult the F... Kindly Ones..." Grover said fearfully.

Percy snorted. "Just call them Furies. I've already killed the one in the middle once. I wonder how much more difficult it could be to kill all three of them." He grinned at them in mock condescension.

"Alecto, let's teach this insolent child why we are the torturers in the Underworld." The left Fury hissed at her sister. The one on the right seemed to be all for it. But Alecto wouldn't budge.

"No, Tisiphone. Our Lord has forbidden it. The boy mastered the first test, he must not be harmed by us." Alecto replied, with great displeasure. The other Fury, Megaera did not pay attention to her sisters. Her eyes were on a hidden person, outside of the circle of Hellhounds. None of the others had seen the goddess yet, but Megaera obviously did not believe her to be a threat, so she did nothing to inform her sisters. She merely glared in the direction of the eavesdropper.

"What? Why are you here, if you are forbidden to fight me?" Percy asked, a confused frown adorning his face. The grip around his sword tightened. The situation was still dire and he would not allow them to take him by surprise, just because they claimed to be peaceful.

Alecto shot him a hateful glare, obviously still mad about being beaten by him during their last encounter. "Your existence is an affront to our Lord. Every moment you live is a mockery of the oath he and his brother's had sworn long ago."

"Yeah, well sucks to be me. Inattentive father and two uncles that would rather see me dead. Being a demigod is all about family issues as it seems." Percy drawled. Grover next to him was so pale that he looked like a ghost, frightened by the disrespectful way Percy talked to the three Furies.

"You would increase your chances at survival by showing some more respect towards the gods, boy." Tisiphone said furiously. Unlike her sisters she seemed to be the most annoyed by the situation. "You never know who might listen."

"Why should I show respect to a man who wishes for my death, simply because of my father's actions. I have never wronged him." Percy retorted.

"The gods don't ask for respect, they deserve it, demigod."

"I respect the gods. Those I know and had a chance to meet so far. Gods like Apollo, Hermes and Artemis, those I know. Even Ares in a way. Those four I respect above all other gods. But I don't disrespect the others, at least not those who I've never met. Only the big three who have wronged me." Little did he know that most gods had heard his exclamation, either on Hephaestus TV, or in person.

"Foolish child. But for some reason my Lord has decided to offer you a chance. A bargain. Should you fulfill your part, he will accept your existence and stop seeking your death for the moment." Alecto stated, much to the surprise of all who had heard it.

Percy looked intrigued by this, but Apollo and Hermes had taught him to be wary of bargains with gods. Especially the god of thieves was the best exampe for that. He had always liked to trick him. Hermes still owed him a bag full of Drachma for the matter.

"What exactly does he want me to do?" It doesn't hurt to ask and if he really had a chance to get at least one of his uncles off his back, then he was all for it. He did not fancy the idea to die, simply because his father and uncle couldn't keep it in their pants. He also realized that one of the three Furies had suddenly disappeared.

"Lord Hades has a certain interest in two demigods, hidden from prying eyes of the other gods. And you, Perseus Jackson, will bring them to him." Alecto glowered at him, daring him to decline this deal, so she could get her revenge on him and kill him there and then.

Percy looked confused for some moments, wondering why Hades would be interested in the children of other gods. As far as he recalled, there had never been rumors about any children of the god of the Underworld. It was common knowledge that Zeus broke the oath. And Percy was the living proof that Poseidon did so, too. But Hades had not. Not even Hermes had seen or heard anything and he was the one who spread nearly all rumors far and wide, due to him being the messenger of the gods. So why would Hades want those kids? The best explanation Percy could think of, was that they were children of a god, that had offended Hades. But that did nothing to shorten the list of possible godly parents for those children. Many gods had offended Hades in one way or another.

"Why does he want those children? I will not lead two young demigods to their deaths, just to save my own life."

"Lord Hades does not wish them harm, else we would have killed them long ago." Alecto sneered at him. "You have no choice here, Jackson. Do it or die tonight."

Percy looked around once more. His eyes traveling over the countless number of monsters around him. Grover looked close to fainting, but he valiantly fought against that urge. It was also then that Percy realized that Megaera had suddenly disappeared as well. Only Alecto remained in front of him. But he couldn't bring himself to bother with that. If he chose to fight, it wouldn't make any difference if the others were here or not.

"What is your choice, Perseus Jackson?"

Percy took a deep breath, before he finally came to a decision. "You swear that those demigods will not be harmed?" Percy half asked, half ordered.

"Our Lord has already given his word to someone else, that those two will not come to harm by his hands."

"Then I will do it. I will bring those two children to him and in return he will no longer try to have me killed." The Fury simply nodded. The deal was made. Percy just hoped that he would never regret this night. He did not even want to imagine what Apollo would think of him right now. "Where are they and what are their names?"

"You will find them further in the west. Where water is sparse and the sun shines strong."

"No riddles please. Give me real instructions, not that whole prophecy crap the gods like to do for quests." Percy interjects, much to Alecto's ire.

"Las Vegas, Lotus Hotel and Casino." The Fury said curtly.

"I doubt they let a minor into a casino. Not even in Vegas. Believe me, Apollo tried to take me with him, when he visited Atlantic City. It took a lot of effort for him to make me look older, else I wouldn't have been allowed to enter that Casino..." He chuckled slightly at that particular memory. He couldn't help himself, even in this situation it was still very funny to remember it.

"You will be able to enter. And once you are inside you will find the two demigods. Siblings. A boy, Nico, and his older sister, Bianca. You will get them out of the Casino and bring them to Los Angeles. We will know when you arrive and lead you to the Underworld." The Fury let out a loud shriek that hurt in Percy's ears like someone had stabbed him with a red-hot iron. He held his hands to his ears to ease the pain by muffling the sound, but it was not much help. But soon the sound subsided and he looked around again. But all he found around him was pitch black darkness. No Furies, no Hellhounds. Only the dark night and a shaking Satyr next to him.

"Not even giving me their last names? Why must all those gods and monsters and whatever always make assignments more difficult than they have to be?" Percy muttered. "Come on, Grover. We have to get to the city. I have a job to do." He pulled his friend along, without waiting for a response. But at the moment the Satyr was in no shape to offer much resistance anyway.

* * *

Artemis had watched the entire scene from a hidden vantage point. Careful not to be seen by the monsters or the Furies. When she had seen those three, she had already given up all hope for Percy Jackson to survive this night. The best she could hope for, was to be able to retrieve his body for Apollo, so he could at least honor his champion properly. The way her brother had talked about Percy, the way he had always appeared when Percy needed him, it was obvious that Apollo cared about his champion. To see him so concerned actually endeared Apollo to her, especially now that they mostly bickered about his despicable hobbies. It was a side he had rarely shown to her.

With a sense of dread she watched the Furies and the Hellhounds. But they... didn't attack. The monsters waited for something. That was until the Furies started to talk. And hearing his answers. She could barely believe what she heard. She couldn't help but feel glad to hear, that he respected her more than most other gods. She knew she had not done very much to actually earn that respect. Most of the times she had met Percy, she was busy sicking her Hunters on him, simply because she believed him to be corrupted by Apollo's wickedness.

But then the Furies did one thing no one could have foreseen. On Hades' orders they offered Percy a way to survive. A chance to free himself from the constant threat of being hunted by the god of the Underworld.

She watched as he declined the deal, not willing to damn others. Artemis realized that Percy really was much more selfless than her brother, or his own brother for the matter, though he had already started to show some of Apollo's quirks. She knew that not many would have made the same decision in Percy's position. She doubted that many of her Hunters would have had the courage to do this.

"You should not be here, goddess." A voice suddenly growled behind her. She had felt the presence of the third Fury before she had revealed herself. But those three were no danger to her. Artemis knew that Hades would not dare to allow his monsters to attacks any other Olympian. Zeus would declare war, blinded by the anger he always felt when his children got attacked. He would have done so after the death of Thalia Grace, had it not been for the oath he had violated. And Artemis did not even want to think about what Apollo would do, should she get hurt. He was fiercely protective of his sister and mother.

"I will do as I see fit, Fury. Begone!"

"This is not your fight. That boy is none of your concern. This is between my Lord and his traitorous brothers." Megaera said menacingly.

"Are you threatening me?" Artemis asked, as she glared at the abominable creature.

"Not threatening. Warning. It would be unwise to make an enemy of Lord Hades. Even for a goddess such as you." With these parting words the Fury turned around and left quickly. Artemis wondered why this foolish creature had come to threaten her, when it was obvious that it would be an empty threat. That was until Artemis realized that she had nearly missed the conclusion of Percy's conversation with the other Furies. But there was one thing she had heard. Las Vegas. She knew what she had to do now. Percy was out of immediate danger for the moment. But she knew his next destination. Her Hunters would get their chance to capture Percy Jackson.


	7. Chapter 7

The news of Poseidon's newest demigod offspring traveled fast through the endless depths of the sea. Not many were surprised that the lord of the sea had broken the oath, which he had made together with his brothers. Many cheered for the fact that there was yet another prince of the sea, mortal or not, any son of Poseidon would increase the power and importance of the sea. But not all were pleased.

Among those who felt the most resentment was, without a doubt, Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon and queen of the sea. She only felt resentment for her husband, for he had yet again been unfaithful to her. She cared little for the oath he had sworn with Zeus and Hades, things outside of the sea did not bother her. But her husband's continued infidelity angered her greatly. At least she found some form of consolation, since the mortal that her husband had fallen for was already dead. She wouldn't draw Poseidon away again.

But the ill begotten offspring was still out there. Fighting for his life. Hunted by Hades monsters and Artemis' maidens. Her husband cared for the boy, that much was obvious. He had cared for all his children, no matter how they had been conceived... or with whom. But the fact that Triton, his legitimate heir, was not his favorite, was the worst insult for the beautiful queen. Even now, while they watched the demigod's struggle, Poseidon was gripping his Trident tightly, out of fear for this child. Fear only for this demigod, while at the same time Triton was out there, risking his life while he spied on the Titan Oceanus.

She had to admit that the demigod was skilled for one so young. But that was due to Apollo's interference, not her husbands blood. Even Poseidon realized that. The boy did not use the water around him even once. Only skills he had learned from his patron.

"Even one as skilled as him won't last long against Hades' wrath." Amphitrite said snidely. "He won't live to see the sun again."

Poseidon did not even look at her. His eyes were fixed on the struggling boy on the screen. He did not even reply, much to her growing ire. He ignored her. Anger on his face every time he saw one of the Cyclopes. They were his sons, too, yet they spite him and serve Hades. He was so angry with them that he did not even care when one of the Cyclopes was killed. Amphitrite wondered who had killed the hideous beast, she was sure it had not been this demigod. But whoever it was did not show him or herself.

Then the furies came and argued with him, instead of gutting him where he stood. This was unusual, but Amphitrite knew better than to try and understand the servants of Hades. Those living in the sea she could understand easily. No one could keep secrets from her for long. Well, no one but Poseidon. But the inhabitants of other realms sometimes remained a mystery to her.

"Listen well, my Lord, your own son openly shows his disdain for you." Amphitrite said, as they heard Percy's exclamation about the gods and respect. Mere words, but the effect on the lord of the Sea was imminent. Regret and pain flashed over Poseidon's face.

"He has all right to feel such disdain. I've never met him, never cared for him as a father should. At least he had Apollo after Sally's death." Poseidon replied, before he buried his face in his hands. The death of his mortal lover still weighed heavily on his mind.

His wife watched this with narrowed eyes. The fact that he still loved this lowly mortal was an insult to her and her position. But she would be patient. She knew that taking revenge on the boy would not serve her in any way or form. She was not cruel and vengeful like Hera. No. But she would find a way to make her husband suffer for his infidelity. She would have to find a way to make sure that he would never betray her again. And maybe this boy was the key to that.

* * *

It was noisy. So terribly noisy. The streets were filled with cars, people running around everywhere. His hand was clasped tightly to that of his mother, as they walked through the busy streets of New York. Though he bounced around, ever restless, but he did not stray further away from her than an arms length.

Together the boy and his mother enjoyed their walk. Enjoyed the time they had, away from his hideous stepfather. He cherished these rare moments. Moments when his mother seemed truly happy. The only place where she would smile even more was in Montauk, the place where she had met his father. Or so she had told him. He knew that her current husband was not his father and he was glad for that. Gabe Ugliano was an ugly man that reeked worse than the sewers. He never understood why his mother was with him and not with his father. But whenever he asked, his mother only told him that he would find out when he was older.

It irked him, that he would have to wait. He was curious. And like every child his age he wanted to find out about everything. It was even worse for him, than for most others. Never being able to sit still for long, neither could he read any book very well. But right now he was just content being with his mother.

Sometimes they would walk for hours through the busy streets of their hometown. But today something was odd... something was different. To Percy it felt like something was tugging on his mind. Like something was trying to get his attention. But the young boy was confused. Whatever it was, his mother had not noticed it.

"Perseus..." A voice whispered in the young boy's ears. He looked around curiously. The voice was so close, but there was no one when he looked. Only the busy people, passing by without even looking at him.

"Come to me, Perseus..." The voice whispered again. It sounded so familiar, but Percy couldn't find a face that would fit to that voice.

"Are you alright, Percy?" His mother asked him curiously, as she saw him look around searching.

Percy was not sure whether to tell his mother that he was hearing voices. He had not even told her about what sometimes happens when he is around water. It was just so... weird. "Nothing mom. Just thought I had seen someone I know..." Percy replied.

"Come to me, Perseus. Come and claim your destiny..." The voice returned again. But this time he was sure that the voice came from the direction of the Central Park. His mother was still watching him, worry etched on her face as she saw her son.

"Find me, Perseus. Come, find me, my precious child. Your time has come." The voice became more and more tempting. Percy looked at his mother for a short moment, then his attention was back to the place where the voice supposedly came from. "Don't hesitate. Destiny waits for no one. Claim what is yours."

The temptation became too much for the young boy to bear, so he let go of his mother's hand and started running. He ran without looking left and right, ignoring everything around him. He ignored the signal-horns of the cars as he ran over the street. He ignored his mother's frantic yelling, as she ordered him to stop and come back. There was only the place where he had to get to. The place where he would find his destiny, just as the familiar voice had promised.

The next thing he heard were the breaks of a car and screams. Screams of a woman and other pedestrians. With shock he turned around when he heard his mother scream... when he heard the sound of a crash...

* * *

With a sudden jolt Percy bolted up from his place. Cold sweat running down his face, his breath haggard. He looked around, but he didn't see the city, only the train cart. The train Grover and he had taken to get to Las Vegas.

"A dream... no..." Percy mumbled.

"Perce, you okay?" Grover asked worriedly, as he saw the state his friend was in.

Percy rubbed his eyes for a moment, before he answered, "Yeah. Just a bad dream..." But it wasn't a dream. It was a memory. He was sure of it. The worst day of his life. Why did he remember it now? He had not thought about it once since he had met Apollo.

"Understandable. After all that has happened recently. I mean a few days ago our biggest problem was surviving Ms Dodds next math test and now..."

"Grover, did you eat that strange grass again?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhm... no?"

"Remember, I've been fighting monsters on Apollo's orders since long before I met you. This isn't all that scary. It's only more dangerous than the usual tests and quests Apollo sends me on."

"Right..." Grover replied, uncertainty palpable in his voice. "So what are we gonna do? We will arrive soon."

"Easy. We find that casino and then we will bring those two demigods to Hades. I am already sick and tired of being hunted by him."

"Lotus Hotel and Casino, should be easy enough to find." Grover commented, as he pulled out a map they had bought at their last stop. "It's not that far from the train station. We should be able to get there on foot."

"Good, good." Percy said happily. "Then let's get moving. We've arrived." The train had finally stopped at their destination. After days of traveling across nearly the entire country they had arrived in Las Vegas.

It was hot outside, even though the city had not seen the sun for more than a week. Thick, gray clouds were still hiding the sun and the sky. But the mortals did not look bothered by it. They went about their business.

It did not take Percy and Grover very long, before they could see the big Casinos. Even by day they looked spectacular. Percy could easily imagine how all these buildings will look, once the sun has set and the bright lights turn the night into day.

The streets were crowded. Mostly tourists, by the looks of their clothing. All people seemed to be happy. All but one. As he looked around his eyes finally met the very familiar black orbs of a girl in silver clothing. And the expression on her face was nothing short of furious.

"Oh shit." Percy said, before he grabbed Grover's arm and pulled the surprise Satyr into a nearby alley.

Grover looked surprised by this. "What is going on? Why are we going this way, the Casino is over there?" He pointed in the direction of a large hotel that was even now ablaze with light.

"Hunters. They have found us somehow."

"What?" Grover started to look around frantically.

* * *

It was silent, all of a sudden. No one in the room spoke a word, all of them merely watched with rapt attention. This time even more gods had come together to watch Percy's struggle. The news of Hades involvement had increased the interest in this new show and now everyone was watching it, no matter where they are. And they did not even know what Hades had ordered the boy to do. The automaton with the camera had been destroyed, before it could film all of the meeting. The Furies guarded this secret almost jealously.

"Finally some action. I already thought the boy would get out of this without a scratch." Ares commented with a bloodthirsty grin.

"Big talk coming from you, Ares. You are just here because you are hiding from Athena. She is still angry about how you tricked her daughter and Hermes' son to go into that trap Heph hast set for you." Apollo commented with a grin. Hermes still looked slightly miffed at Ares, not at all amused about the danger one of his favorite son's had been in.

"It was their choice."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to Athena." Apollo chuckled, as he walked past Hephaestus and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hopefully they won't break my automaton again." Hephaestus grumbled. "My poor creations... always they have to suffer the most."

"Ah, don't worry, Heph, there won't be any bad Furies destroying your automatons this time." Apollo assured him, with a wide grin. "My little sis and her Hunters won't hurt your creations." He wasn't even sure if they would be able to find this new automaton. Unlike the one that had been destroyed by Tisiphone, this one would be almost impossible to find. Hephaestus has clearly outdone himself.

"Now look at that. They are hunting him through the streets like he is some wild animal. Oh this has to escalate soon." Eris exclaimed gleefully. "But where is your sister, Apollo? Shouldn't she be somewhere near to capture that demigod?"

"Nah, I don't think my little sis will intervene unless it is necessary. It is much more awesome to allow her Hunters to do it on their own. She is testing them, just like I am testing my champion."

"But don't you think that it is curious?" Hermes asked, as he watched the screen.

"What? Curious to see a bunch of whiny little girls failing to apprehend one man?" Ares asked, before he let out a barking laugh. But he was quickly silenced by a jab to his ribs, courtesy of Enyo, who looked less than amused by her brother's lack of respect for females.

Hermes shook his head, before he let out a sigh. "No, I mean it is curious that they are now in the same city as the other group."

"Right. Your son should be running around in Las Vegas as well. I wonder if they run across each other." Apollo said, with a fake look of concentration on his face. "Oh, look. The hunt is finally over."

"Finally! I was hoping for a good fight. Now the boy can show them what I've taught him." Ares exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, he is my champion and if there is anyone who has taught him, than that would be me!" Apollo interjected. He looked miffed at Ares, who merely smirked back.

* * *

Percy and Grover ran as fast as they could, several Hunters following them closely now. They had come closer to the Casino, but only after a very large detour. But now their target was in sight. Once they had left this alley, they only had to cross one more street. Once inside the Casino they would surely be able to loose their pursuers.

Suddenly something passed by his head. Very close and fast. "You've got to be kidding me. They opened fire. Come on Grover, run faster, dammit. You're a Satyr, you are supposed to be able to run faster than me."

"I'm tired and hungry. I can't go on like this forever.." Grover yelped, panting hard.

"We are almost there and... shit!" Just as they were about to get to the end of the alley, their only escape was cut off. Several girls in silver clothing appeared at the other end, all looking at him with grim determination. Among those were Zoe, who looked coldly at him, and Ariadne, who looked apologetic and torn. It was obvious that her loyalties were not as clear as her current company suggested.

"It is over Jackson. This hunt ends here!" Zoe exclaimed loudly, as she and her fellow Hunters approached Percy with drawn weapons. "There is no escape."

Percy watched them, slightly nervous. But he remembered what Ares had told him once. Never go down without putting up a good fight. Though he greatly disliked the idea of hurting the girls he had protected on several occasions, he still had to fight them properly. His pride wouldn't let him surrender like that either.

All the Hunters stopped, merely one foot away from him, forming a tight circle that seemingly left not chance to escape. But Percy merely chuckled now.

"Why are you laughing? You are beaten. No man can take us on." One of the older Hunters, Phoebe, Percy believed her name was, said with disdain. It was widely known that she was one of the greatest man-haters in Artemis little club. But what she had experienced to harbor such resentment for all males... no one could tell him that. Not even Apollo and he knew nearly everything. Even some very disturbing things about the courtship behavior of the big three that Percy never wanted to now. But Apollo wouldn't be himself, had he not scarred his young champion's mind with this repulsing knowledge.

"You all a great Hunters. Deadly with a bow..."

"Flattery won't get you out of this situation, Jackson." Zoe interjected icily.

"As I was about to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, you all are deadly... from a distance. But in close combat you enter my terrain. I haven't survived close combat training from three gods, without learning a thing or two. And one thing I learned is that most people are content with being mediocre in close combat as soon as they have mastered ranged combat." He grinned widely. "And frankly, I've seen all of you fight against monsters, from a distance and up close. And most of you suck really bad in the latter department."

"Percy, it is not wise to insult Artemis' Hunters like this!" Grover hissed frantically.

"Die, you vile man." Phoebe yelled in anger, as she pulled out her hunting knife and charged at Percy. But he merely sidestepped her attack, before he grabbed her arm and used her momentum to throw her at the other Hunters.

"You damn..." Phoebe was raging now and made her bow appear in her hands. She was about to shoot and arrow at Percy, but was stopped when Ariadne knocked her over.

"Are you mad? Lady Artemis wants him alive, you idiot!" Ariadne hissed at Phoebe, who quickly threw her off.

Meanwhile the rest of the Hunters had decided to attack Percy and Grover. The Satyr merely tried to get out of the way, jumping around as much as he could with his pants on. He was neither willing nor able to fight against the Hunters, but Percy did not mind that. He knew that Grover was not much of a fighter.

But Percy had to bear the brunt of the attack. He was careful not to hurt any of the girls too badly, afraid of making Artemis mad. So far she had not shown herself, but should he hurt any of her girls... he was sure that Hades wrath would be a walk in the park in comparison to what she would do to him. He had quickly dismissed the idea of drawing his sword, instead he used the powers he had to avoid the attacks.

Finally he found himself face to face with Zoe. All other girls had backed off slightly, obviously giving their leader some space to fight properly. She had a hunting knife in her hand, her fingers tightening around its grip.

"Jackson! Get your sword. Fight me like you truly mean it. Don't mock us with this act." She hissed at him.

"Sorry, Zoe. But I have promised Apollo, that I will protect you girls. This fight is already pushing the boundaries of that promise." Percy said with an apologetic look.

"Don't lie to me. You merely want to make us look bad. You are just like Hercules. You have no respect for girls." She swung her knife in an arc, trying to hit Percy, but he merely avoided her first attacks, before he managed to catch her wrists.

"I am nothing like Hercules. That I can assure you." Percy said as he pulled her hands above her head to keep her from attacking him again. "I've heard about the real Hercules. I once thought that he had worse luck than even I had, but now I know that he had deserved every bad thing that has happened to him." Only now he realized that his and Zoe's faces were mere inches apart, their noses almost touching. It was an embarrassing situation and one that would most likely anger Artemis when she saw him this close to one of her oldest companions.

Even Zoe seemed slightly startled by this. Her eyes staring deeply into the sea green of Percy's orbs. She was looking for confirmation, to see whether he had lied to her with his words about Hercules. But she found no deceit. It confused her for a moment, but soon she regained her composure and reacted to her current situation. With a swift kick to his side she knocked him away. He staggered for a moment, trying to catch his breath after he had taken the blow to his ribs.

But he had not much time to relax, as he was immediately attacked by Phoebe, who once more swung her knife at him.

"Your anger makes you weak." Percy growled at her, as the girl attacked him again and again. "This is something I've learned from fighting against the god of war. Listen well and learn. Strength does not matter if you are unable to control it." He suddenly raised his hand and muttered a short chant in Ancient Greek that Apollo had taught him. Moments later his hand started to glow brightly, until he created a flash that blinded Phoebe and most of the other Hunters.

He stumbled back, away from the cursing Phoebe, who rubbed her eyes furiously. He whirled around in surprise, when someone grabbed his shoulder. At first he had feared that it might be Zoe, but to his relief it was Ariadne.

"Quick. Run while they are distracted." She hissed at him.

"Are you mad? The moment I run they will turn my rear into a pin-cushion."

"Then use me as a shield. They won't attack you this way." She grabbed his arm and pulled it around her shoulder and throat, so she was in a choke hold. Percy was surprised at first, but quickly regained his composure. None of the other Hunters had seen the ruse.

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

"Yes. Now go. They will regain their eyesight in a few moments."

"Grover, get your furry ass over here." Percy yelled to his friend, who came out behind a dumpster. Together they started moving away from the Hunters. They had nearly reached the exit of the alley, when the first Hunters regained their eyesight and spotted them. Of course Zoe was one of the first to recover.

"They are escaping. Stop them." She yelled loudly. Some Hunters started to run after the group, but stopped suddenly, when they saw Ariadne, used as a shield by Percy. Phoebe and some others had their hands on their bows, getting ready to fire, but Zoe hindered them. "Are you mad? He has one of our sisters, don't shoot." She looked angrily at Percy, but hesitated to act. She had not believed him to stoop so low to take a hostage. But maybe he just tried to fool her, just like Hercules had fooled her. In the end he might be just like all the others.

"Let Ariadne go, you coward!" Phoebe yelled. But it was no use. Percy had already reached the exit of the alley and started to run towards the Casino, pulling Ariadne with him. Phoebe quickly ran after him, followed by Zoe. Before the other Hunters could follow, they were stopped by Artemis sudden appearance.

"Do not follow them. That Casino is a dangerous place for all of you. Zoe and Phoebe have been with me for many centuries, only they can possibly face this danger." The Hunters obeyed, albeit begrudgingly. They had outnumbered their enemy more than ten to one and he had still bested them. It was embarrassing. But Artemis did not seem bothered by that fact. Her face showed worry. Worry for Zoe and Phoebe. And most prominently, worry for Ariadne. She had seen what her niece had done. The trick and how she willingly helped Apollo's champion. How she had hindered her fellow Hunters without them even noticing it. Has Ariadne finally made her choice? Did she choose her father over her and the Hunters? Artemis did not know how to react to that.

* * *

Percy and his two companions entered the lobby of the Lotus Hotel and Casino with their last breath, all still slightly shaken by the previous battle. But now they were awed by the majesty of this place. The large entrance hall was a sight to behold. But they also knew that they had no time to waste. The other Hunters couldn't be far.

They walked further into the hotel area, when suddenly an employee of the hotel approached them. "Excuse me, sir. Are you Perseus Jackson?" The man asked courteously.

"Yes?" Percy half answered, half asked.

"Ah, good. We've been expecting you. Your suite has been prepared as ordered. Your lawyer has left very specific instructions regarding your arrival."

"My lawyer?" Percy was completely confused now. As far as he knew, he had no lawyer.

"Yes, Mrs Dodds. She booked the suite for you yesterday. Everything has been paid in advance. The Lotus Hotel is very happy to have you here, Mr Jackson."

"Thanks..."

"Please, follow me. I will show you to your suite." The man bowed slightly, before he turned around and walked over to a nearby elevator. Percy, Grover and Ariadne followed man, all of them confused by the situation. But for now it was their best chance to get some time to rest and recuperate. When the doors of their elevator closed slowly, the last thing they could see were Zoe and Phoebe running towards them. But they were too late. And finding Percy's group again would be very difficult, even for them. Especially in this giant building filled with countless people.

* * *

**A\N: Percy's dream at the beginning of the chapter is rather important, I can already tell you that without giving too much information on the future sotylines. But whoever that voice belonged to will remain my little secret for a long long time. Just one revelation, it is not Kronos.**

**I really hope people don't think Percy is overpowered or something for escaping ten Hunters, but the odds were still in his favor. The Hunters couldn't go all out, since they have to catch him alive. If they were allowed to kill him... well the story would be over very soon. And they fought him close up, instead of from a distance. Not to mention that one of their own made it harder for them than necessary... all in all there was no overpowered Percy. But he will get stronger over time.**


	8. Chapter 8

Percy and his companions followed the hotel employee silently through the lavishly decorated corridor of the hotel, as they approached the suite that had been booked for them, courtesy of Hades. They did not know how to feel about this situation. This just did not make sense. Hades actually helping them like this. Not long ago he had sent an army of monsters to kill Percy and now he paid for a room in a Las Vegas Hotel.

Scratch that, he did not pay for a simple hotel room. When they actually saw the suite they could not believe their eyes. It was huge and clearly very expensive. The most comfort Percy and Grover had seen in the last few days were the trains they had traveled in, to them this was their personal part of Elysium. And Ariadne... traveling with the Hunters for most of her life, she was used to camping outdoors. Her eyes were wide, a gleeful smile tucking on her lips as she ran ahead and disappeared somewhere inside the suite.

"Everything is just as requested. We hope this is to your liking." The hotel employee said, as he ushered Percy and Grover into the suite.

"This is great. Thank you..." Percy said distractedly.

"Do not hesitate to call the room service in case you have any special wishes. It is available at all times." The man told them, before he pulled some plastic cards out of his pocket. "These cards will both serve as keys to your suite and as our way of paying inside the hotel and casino. All transactions will be added to your bill once you leave the hotel." Percy merely nodded, still slightly overwhelmed by this situation, as he took the three offered plastic cards. "The Lotus Hotel and Casino is happy to have you as a guest. Please enjoy your stay here." And with these words the man left and closed the door behind him.

"Now this is so awesome." Grover said, as he walked over to the doors that lead to the bedrooms. "Oh those beds look sooo comfy..." The Satyr nearly fell asleep just looking at the big beds.

"Yeah." Percy said with a chuckle. "I think I have a new favorite uncle. At least when he is not trying to have me killed." He looked over to Grover, to see the Satyr already lying face down on one of the beds, snoring loudly.

Percy decided to let the Satyr rest. He deserved it after all they had been through. So he left the bedroom and went to look for Ariadne instead. She was somewhere in the suite, but he couldn't see her at first.

"Ariadne?" He called for her.

"Over here."

He followed the voice and finally ended up in the large bathroom, where Ariadne sat next to a big bathtub, playing idly with the water in it.

"Here you are. I think we need to talk, Ariadne." Percy said, as he entered the room.

"Not now. Later."

"But..."

"Just look at this. Do you have any idea how long it's been since the last time I took a real bath in a warm bathtub?"

Percy looked confused at first, before he realized what she meant. The Hunters rarely leave the wilderness. When they took a bath it was in the clear water of lakes. "Well... sucks to be a year around camper, huh..."

"Yeah, yeah. Now out with you, I want to take a bath. We will talk later." She stood up and shoved Percy out of the bath. Before he knew what was happening, the door of the bathroom was closed right in front of him.

"Fine, I'll go." Percy said with a mock huff. "I take a look around, I'll be back later."

"Do so, but you should avoid Zoe and Phoebe for the time being." Ariadne said through the closed door.

"Don't plan on running into them." Percy said, as he took one of the plastic cards and walked over to the door. "If I don't come back, avenge me!" He called out in jest.

"Fine, now leave me in peace." The next thing Percy heard was a splashing sound.

* * *

Two lone Hunters stood in the center of the hotel lobby, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. But that was easier said than done. Especially with Phoebe glaring daggers at ever male that dared to look in their direction.

They had lost Percy, when he disappeared in that elevator with Ariadne and his Satyr, something that they were obviously not very happy about. Zoe couldn't help herself but feel nervous in the current situation. She and Phoebe were alone now. The other Hunters had not followed them and so far their mistress has also avoided coming to their aid. It was like there was something they should have known about this place. Something that made their mistress nervous enough to avoid this hotel.

"So what now?" Phoebe asked sternly.

"We have to wait. They will come down again. They have to. And once we have found Jackson we capture him and force him to tell us where he has brought Ariadne."

Phoebe scowled when she heard that. "Are you sure? Some things seemed odd..."

"What are you playing at?"

"I mean that it is rather odd that Ariadne was captured like this, even though Lady Artemis and you both trained her personally. And even in the unlikely case that Jackson has managed to overpower her, it does not explain her total lack of resistance. For crying out loud, he grabbed her arm and dragged her along and she did nothing to stop him. Face it Zoe, she went willingly."

Zoe did not look surprised in the slightest when she heard Phoebe's assumption. She had thought the same. It was slightly curious that Phoebe figured it out so easily. "We can't be sure about that yet. No matter what, Lady Artemis would not be pleased, should we fail to bring back her niece."

"And?"

"This place is huge. We have to scout all possible hiding places. I have faith in our sisters and I know that they will watch all exits. Maybe we can force him to leave this building. Ushering him right into the waiting hands of our sisters and mistress." Zoe explained calmly.

"And where will we begin? As you have said right now, this place his huge... and filled with abominable males."

"We will split up. You will search the hotel area and I will check the casino. We will meet here in a few hours."

Phoebe obviously didn't like that plan. Her scowl only deepened. But she did not object it openly, clearly respecting Zoe's seniority in this situation.

"And Phoebe?"

"Yes?" She asked tersely.

"Try not to kill some guy for just looking at you. We really don't need that kind of attention here. Jackson is our target, ignore the rest." Zoe's order was intensified by a glare at the other girl. Zoe knew why Phoebe was like this. She did not fault her in the slightest. But she would not desist from punishing Phoebe, should her hatred in any way or form hinder their hunt.

* * *

Percy tapped impatiently with his foot, as he stood in the elevator, waiting for it to reach ground level. "Man, this elevator music is even worse than the stuff in Apollo's car..." Percy muttered, uncaring about the two other people that were in the elevator with him. Both had heard him and looked at him like he was some rare oddity, though it was easy to see that they had different reasons for that.

To his left stood a boy, obviously several years older than him, with blond hair and an odd scar running down from his eye. He looked surprised at Percy, a glint of realization visible in his eyes. Just from the way he reacted and carried himself it was easy to tell that he was a demigod, just like him. Percy was also sure that he knew whose son this boy was.

To his right stood a young girl that was most likely around his own age. But he could only guess, since she wore a floppy green hat, which concealed most of her hair and face. For a moment he saw her eyes, pitch black orbs, even darker than Zoe's. She had looked confused at him, before she hid her face again and looked away.

Something about this girl made Percy curious, but he had no time to figure it out, because she left the elevator at the next stop, long before they would have reached the ground level. So only Percy and the older boy remained in the lift, both silent for some more time, before the older boy spoke up.

"So... you are one as well?"

Percy understood what the other was hinting at and nodded. "Yep. Was quite a shock when I found out, but any seven year old would have been shocked by such a revelation."

"I'm Luke Castellan, son of..."

"Hermes." Percy finished for him.

Luke looked suspiciously at Percy, clearly surprised that the younger boy figured this out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How did find out?"

"I know your old man, you look a bit like him. Same sharp features and such."

"Really?" Luke did not look pleased by that in the slightest. Percy could only deduct that Luke was not at good terms with his godly parent, something that he could relate to.

"Yeah. Your father owes me money." Percy said, cracking a grin, trying to ease the tension that had appeared when he had mentioned Luke's father and their resemblance.

"Stolen or cheated?"

"A bit of both. He is a sore looser when it comes to bets." Percy couldn't help but chuckle. Luke soon followed suite and joined him. "Why don't we grab a bite to eat and talk about our sad lives as demigods. My uncle pays." Percy said, as he pulled out the plastic card he had been given.

"You're odd, you know that?"

"Well no one would be normal in my situation. My teacher is the self-appointed Mr Awesome and I am on a quest from my uncle, trying not to get killed by his monsters, while my patron's sister and her evil lesbian cult try to hunt me down..."

"Come again?" Somehow Percy had a feeling that he would get along splendidly with this son of Hermes. Little did he know though, that the same boy also kept some darker secrets, that would soon threaten his life and the lives of his friends and family.

* * *

It was already night on Olympus, when Artemis returned. She had left her Hunters in a safe camp outside of Las Vegas, far away from the prying eyes of any mortals that could wish them harm. Some of her girls had protested, clearly put out by the thought of abandoning their hunt... and their three sisters that had entered the Lotus Casino.

But Artemis knew about this place. She knew that waiting for the return of Zoe, Phoebe and Ariadne would be a waste of time. If they ever came out she would know it. But IF was the most important word in that sentence. They might never make it out again. They wouldn't be the first... and most likely not the last. Gods never entered the place on principle. It wasn't really a law, but they all stayed clear of this place. And Artemis couldn't deny that she was wary.

And now she was back home. Her heart filled with worry, her mind reeling with question she could not find any answers for. And though she had not planned to, she ran across the one man who could give her some answers. It was rare to see Apollo somewhere other than his own palace or the council chamber, whenever he was on Olympus. But now he was here, sitting silently on a stone bench, watching the clouds with a contemplative frown. It was than that she realized that he was looking at the place of one particular constellation. Orion.

She sat down next to her brother, neither speaking a word for some time. Artemis did not know for how long they just sat there, in companionable silence. It must have been the longest time they had ever spent in each others presence without bickering.

"You know, sis, I never really liked that bastard." Apollo said suddenly. "Orion, I mean. From the first moment I met him I knew that he wasn't good for you. Yet you took a liking to him."

"I thought he was different... but ultimately it were his hunting skills that impressed me so much. A man who could keep up with me. Before I met him I had resented the mere thought of such a preposterous thing."

"He tricked you. He tried to do the unthinkable. But I just couldn't bear the thought of seeing you suffer. Not by his hands, not by finding out first hand what kind of person he is. So I tricked you and you killed Orion. You wouldn't even look at me for over a century after that." He let out a humorless chuckle. "I resented Poseidon's demigods ever since that day."

"Until you met him."

"Percy is different. You would do well to let go of your hatred and see him as the person he is. My daughter saw him only a few times, yet she trusts him. Not because he asked her to, but because of his actions."

"Ariadne... has she..."

"No." Apollo said, before he laughed. "And Percy won't either. I made sure the he will never ever entertain the idea of trying to woo one of my girls."

"I was saddened when she chose to follow him, to help him. She acted against her sisters and defied me to help your champion."

"I know. Well everyone knows. I'm proud of her, even though you will most likely gut me for saying that. You might think that I am a disgrace as a father. That I never look after my kids. That I most likely don't even know about all of them, considering how many mortals I've been with. But know one thing, Artemis, I am watching over all my kids. As long as they are in a place where the light of the sun can reach, I am watching over them." He sighed deeply, before he rubbed the back of his head. "I will tell you a little secret, but please don't tell father about it." He beckoned her to lean in, so he could whisper into her ear. Artemis hesitated at first, but relented eventually, curious about this secret. "After Ariadne's mother had died, I visited her and brought her to your lieutenant. Ariadne didn't know I was her father at that time, she only found out when she saw me with Percy years later. And I made sure that Zoe wouldn't see me."

"You know that you broke the law by doing that." Artemis said silently. Apollo merely shrugged. "But I must say that I approve of your choice."

"I love my kids and I would have loved to raise all of them. But I can't defy the law like that. Helping yes, but raising just isn't possible. The law didn't apply to Percy, but he is more of a little brother. But in the end the law stole a part of my life, no matter what. But it never concerned you since you have no demigod children and most likely you will never have any, but to us others it is not easy."

"I have my Hunters to care for and..."

"But that is not the same. They aren't yours by blood. You don't share that connection with any of your Hunters. It's similar to me and Percy, yet it is completely different. The closest relationship you ever had to one of your girls is with Zoe, because no other girl has stayed with you for this long. But even now you have this gap between you two. In the end you will always be her mistress and she your devoted servant. That is the reason why I had sent you Ariadne. Your connection to her is closer than to any of the other girls in your Hunt."

Artemis looked surprised at her brother. She knew he was overprotective of her most of the times. She knew that he would do anything for her, should she ask. He was a very good brother, despite being the epitome of a man-whore. But she had not expected this.

"I knew she couldn't be a daughter to you, but she was the closest you could ever get to that. She helped you loosen up. But all children have to grow up and find their own way. If she decides to follow Percy around, you can still see her from time to time. She won't just disappear. And Percy will do his utmost to keep her safe, I drilled that into him quite nicely."

"But she will age and eventually die. Without the Hunt she will never be immortal. And neither will your champion be around for ever to keep her safe." Artemis said somberly.

Apollo smirked when he heard that. "I wouldn't be so sure. I have big plans for my champion. Once I'm done with him, he will be the greatest hero Olympus has ever seen. If the asshole managed to obtain godhood, Percy will join our ranks quite easily."

"So you are the reason he despises Hercules? I was shocked when I heard the venom in his voice when he uttered that fools name. Most other demigods, especially the males, worship Hercules as their idol."

"Let's just say that I told Percy everything I know. Only the truth, I swear. But now I have to watch out that he does not meet Hercules before he is at least immortal. He would most likely challenge Hercules to a duel, just to force him to apologize to every single person he has ever wronged, even should that mean that he has to go all the way down to Tartarus to do it." He laughed boisterously when he imagined that happening. He would love to see that happen.

"I would actually pay to see that." Artemis said with a small smile. "But I doubt father would ever allow for a demigod son of Poseidon to become a god."

"Percy is awesome, he will do it, just wait."

Artemis couldn't help but smile now. It was just a matter of time before Apollo would say his favorite word. She was surprised that he managed to remain serious for this long. But it was a welcome change. Though she was still unsure about how she could help her Hunters in the Casino, she at least felt better now, knowing that she could count on her brother's help at all times. This entire hunt on his champion had changed a lot of things. And she was curious to see what Percy Jackson would achieve in his life.

"I should get back to my Hunters. I need to think about a way to help Zoe and Phoebe."

"And what about Ariadne?" Apollo asked teasingly.

"I entrust her safety to your champion, at least until we know her final decision. Hope that will not fail this duty or else he will have to face my wrath." Artemis replied deliberately. She stood up from the bench and looked at the stars one more time. "Thank you, brother. For everything."

"Don't worry, little sis, that's what brothers are for." She didn't bother correcting him, when he claimed to be the older sibling. She merely smiled, before she flashed away, back to her camp.

* * *

Percy had spent some rather curious hours with his new acquaintance, Luke. They talked about the life as demigods and the gods in general. They even talked about Camp Half-blood for some time, always steering clear of their own past experiences. They both did not feel all that happy about sharing their more personal life stories.

Somehow Percy knew that Luke was hiding far more than he had let on. Not just about his past. He showed great resentment for his own father, something that Percy could not relate to at all in the end. At first he thought it was just some disdain for being more or less completely abandoned by his father. But Luke downright loathed Hermes. Sure Percy didn't like Poseidon all that much either, but the kind of hatred Luke had shown... Percy knew wouldn't be able to feel that. The man was still his father and therefore part of his life. However small his influence on that life may be.

When Luke finally left to go back to his room, Percy was unsure whether he should hope to see Luke again or not. But something Luke had said also made Percy quite curious. The son of Hermes was not alone. He was here with a group. Though he had not said it openly, he had dropped several hints that he was currently on a quest. That meant that the number of demigods in this casino was higher than anticipated.

"What are you doing?" A voice shook him out of his thoughts, as someone joined him at his table in the restaurant. When Percy looked up he saw his newest companion, Ariadne, looking at him curiously, as she tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear, though it stubbornly refused to stay there and fell back in front of her face.

"Just thinking."

"Does it hurt?" She asked him teasingly, her smirk very much like her father's.

"Wouldn't you want to know." He replied with a laugh, before he stood up. "But I guess we should look around for a bit. I'm not here for fun."

"And I don't get anything to eat?"

"Nope. You probably already bothered the room service. No one stays in the bath for four hours."

"Maybe I do."

"Sure and Ares favorite color is pink..." He couldn't shake the feeling that his last comment would bite him in the ass soon. But Ares wouldn't be watching him at the moment, right? Surely there must be some war to enjoy for him.

"So what are we looking for?"

"We?" Percy asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Yes, we. There is no way that Lady Artemis has not seen me helping you. I can't go back to the Hunt, even if I wanted to." She looked away in shame, feeling guilty for betraying her aunt this way.

"I'm sorry. You had to give up your entire life to help me escape." Percy said somberly.

"It was my choice, don't beat yourself up because of it."

"Yeah, I think Zoe will gladly do the beating part." Percy had to suppress an involuntary shudder, when he thought about what would most likely happen during their next meeting.

"Most likely. She really can't stand you. But even she has to understand my decision."

Percy didn't reply immediately, as they left the restaurant and moved towards the other attractions of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They silently walked through the masses of tourists, as they looked around. Percy for any signs of other demigods and Ariadne mostly for any sign of other Hunters. She knew that Zoe and Phoebe were around here somewhere, but she didn't know where exactly.

"So, why did you help me? Is it because of Apollo?" Percy finally asked.

"I... it might sound selfish, but I want to meet my dad. See him again. It just felt like the right time. And I..." She trailed off for a moment, unsure whether she should continue or not. Percy didn't urge her to continue, but she knew that he would find out sooner or later. "I am not a Hunter...yet."

Percy looked at her oddly for a moment. "You are kidding, right? I mean I saw you with the Hunters every time Apollo sent me out to help you and..."

"But I never swore the oath. I was too young. The day you saved my life... it was the trial all girls who wish to become full Hunters have to face."

"And you messed up by nearly dieing and relying on my help." Percy finished for her.

"Yeah. Had I succeeded, I wouldn't be here now. I would be with Zoe, trying to turn you into a pin-cushion." Both chuckled at that thought, though Ariadne did it with less enthusiasm.

"What happened to the other two? They had not been with the Hunters who ambushed me."

"They were... unsettled by the trial. And by your appearance. They decided against trying again and Lady Artemis dropped them off at Camp Half-blood."

"Guess that is another reason why Zoe is so pissed at me. I dissuaded several new Hunters from joining."

"You have this unique talent to do things that make her mad." Ariadne said with a laugh.

They soon entered an indoor club of the hotel, a crowded place, music booming loudly around them. Though Percy was sure that it wasn't all that late, he could see some drunk people fooling around, others simply sitting at the bar. The dance floor in the middle of the room was even more crowded, people shoving each other around, trying to move to the rhythm of the music.

"Come, Aria, we should go. We won't find what I'm looking for in this place." Percy said, as he turned to leave with his companion.

"You sure? What exactly are you looking for?"

"Two demigods. A girl around our age and her younger brother." he looked around once more. "And I doubt they would be here. It's curious enough that there is no one here, keeping kids our age out of this place and..." Suddenly he saw something that he had not expected, at all. "What in the name of Hades..." He looked again, much closer this time, but he had not erred at first. In an alcove not far from the dance floor sat Zoe Nightshade, looking slightly drowsy, a shady looking guy talking to her. Before Ariadne had a chance to react he had already hurried over to the other Huntress, muttering curses under his breath as he did so.

"Come on, baby, why don't we go somewhere less crowded to get to know each other better." The man next to Zoe told her. A lecherous grin could be seen on his face. But Zoe was obviously out of it and did not react to it, else the guy would already miss some very important parts of the male anatomy.

"Hey." Percy yelled angrily as he reached them. "Get your hands off her."

"And why should I, kid?" The man snarled at Percy.

"Because it would be great fun to see you squirm, when the cops sent you to jail for trying to hook up with a thirteen year old." Well as a matter of fact Zoe was much older than that, but as a Hunter she did not look any older than thirteen or fourteen at max. "And don't forget to mention the question about who got a minor drunk. Do you have any idea what they do with pedophiles in those group cells at prison?" Percy looked darkly at the man, daring him contradict him. But the man merely turned around and left quickly, without even looking back once. With some satisfaction Percy also noticed that several of the other men around him had suddenly decided to increase their distance to him and Zoe.

"Percy, what are you..." Ariadne said, as she caught up to him. "Oh my, is that Zoe? What happened?"

Percy sat down next to Zoe, looking at her with some worry. Ariadne sat down on the other side of the Huntress, shaking the shoulder of her mentor in worry. "She's clearly out of it."

"Is she drunk? But why, none of the Hunters ever drink alcohol. Lady Artemis forbids it."

Percy took the glass that stood on the table in front of her and looked curiously at the clear liquid inside. He sniffed at it, but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. So he took a small sip of it, spitting it out mere seconds later. "This is no alcohol, just water. But it has been spiked with something."

"What? How can you tell?" Ariadne asked confused.

"Hello, son of Poseidon here. I know when there is something in the water. Hades, I couldn't help but feel dirty all the time at my last boarding school, because I felt all the rust and dirt in the supposedly clean water in the showers."

Ariadne looked even more worried now. Again she tried to get some reaction from Zoe, but to no avail. "What now? We can't leave her here like this. What if some other guy comes and..."

"Don't worry. We won't abandon her." Percy assured the blond girl. "I know I will regret this once she wakes up." He muttered, before he draped one of Zoe's arms around his shoulder and pulled her up with him. "We take her back to our suite."

Ariadne nodded quickly, relieved that Percy would not abandon Zoe like this. She knew he had no logical reason to help the girl. Zoe had always shown him nothing but contempt. She had tried to shoot him on more than one occasion. She was currently hunting him like a wild animal. Yet he decided to help her. This made it clear to Ariadne that she had made the right choice to aid him. That it would be the right thing to go with him and help him. No matter what the Hunters said, Percy wasn't like other men.

She tried to take Zoe's other arm, but before she could, Zoe had already gripped Percy's shirt, holding on tightly. Any pictures of this would be hilarious blackmail material later, but at the moment Ariadne was just worried. Who would do this to Zoe? Why drug her and why did she not notice that something was wrong? And where the heck was Phoebe?

She pondered the question all the way back to their suite. She opened the door for Percy, so he could drag Zoe inside. The moment they entered, they could already hear the loud snoring of Grover, who had been asleep for hours now.

Percy brought Zoe over to one of the two bedrooms of the large suite, so she could sleep until whatever effect she was under had worn off. But not long after he had entered the bedroom he let out a startled yelp, alerting Ariadne. But what she found inside caused her to laugh loudly. Zoe was on the bed, but so was Percy. Half buried under the lieutenant of Artemis Hunters, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Aria, some help please." Percy begged, as he saw her standing at the door. "She has a very strong grip, even while sleeping." His eyes darted downward, where Zoe's hand had grasped his arm in a firm grip. But Ariadne just continue laughing, before she turned around to leave the room. "Oh come on, you can't do this to me! Ariadne!" Percy yelled after her. Zoe continued sleeping soundly, despite the ruckus.

"Have a pleasant night, Percy." Ariadne said sweetly, before she turned off the lights and closed the door of the bedroom, much to Percy's shock and annoyance.

"Aria! Oh come on. You are just as evil as your father!" True enough, he would have expected such an act from Apollo, but not from his daughter. But Ariadne did not return. All he heard was her laughter outside. Percy looked at Zoe once more. Most prominently her face. In the dim light that shone through the open windows he could see her features quite clearly. She looked so peaceful at the moment. Beautiful was the first word that came to mind. But he forced any such notions away, knowing that there would be hell to pay once Zoe woke up again. "I'm so screwed." He muttered, as he tried to free himself once more. But no chance, Zoe wouldn't let go of his arm. "Totally screwed."


	9. Chapter 9

Percy felt disoriented. It felt as if his head was swimming. Things around him seemed to blur, as he leaned against a wall to steady himself. He did not trust his legs to carry him at the moment. He did not know why he felt this way. He did not know how he even got here.

"Perseus..." A voice whispered. It was as if the wind itself had carried the voice through this dark hall.

He felt cold, lost. Hollow. Soon he realized that it was the wall he leaned against, that caused him this feeling of coldness. As if it drained all warmth from his body. He pushed himself up again, stumbling lightly during his first few steps.

"Come to me, Perseus..."

He turned around, desperately trying to find the source of that voice. But all he could see was the near endless hallway. Pitch black stone, a place only dimly lit. Not by the sun, he was sure about that.

He felt something in his hands. His sword, tightly clutched, in his right hand. Something else in his other... his vision became blurry when he looked at it. Whatever it was, he couldn't bring himself to let go of it.

His clothes felt wet, they were clinging to him. But what he could see in the dim light was not water... it was blood. His own? He could feel his wounds, the feeling of pain getting worse. At first he felt completely numb, but slowly the pain came back. But the blood wasn't his alone. He didn't know why, but he knew it wasn't all his blood.

"Do not hesitate any longer. You are so close, Perseus. Come to me!"

Percy looked up. The voice, it was so close, as if someone had whispered the words directly into his ears. "Where are you?" He yelled into the darkness.

"You already know the way, Perseus. Come."

He stared down the dark hallway, before he started walking. He was slow, hobbling slightly from a gash on his leg. But he had to go, to find the answer. He wouldn't be satisfied before he had found it. So he endure the pain, the dizziness. Until he finally reached the end of his path. Large doors, as black as the room around him, big enough to allow even a god to pass through in their godly form and height.

He placed a hand on the door. Then it slowly opened, revealing the darkness behind it. Pitch black darkness... and the voice. "And now, my chosen one, we can begin."

* * *

Percy's eyes shot open, those last words still lingering in his mind. But he was no longer in this dark place, that seemed to suck all warmth and happiness out of him. Instead he was lying on a comfortable and warm bed, dim morning light shining through the windows. He looked over to the clock on the bedside table, only to see that it was merely 6 AM.

Then he realized that something was odd, very odd. Something was on his chest, a weight that he was unaccustomed to. The first thing he saw was silky black hair... then the memory of the day before or more precisely the evening before, returned to him.

"Oh shit..." He tried to move away, without much success. She was still gripping his arm tightly. "Of all the times you have to play titan girl now..." Percy muttered as he tried to pry his arm free of her grip. He had failed to get free before he fell asleep. Now he thanked the gods silently that he had somehow managed to wake up before Zoe.

He looked around, hoping that he might find something that would help him, however unlike that might be. But there was nothing. Then his eyes fell on something, or more like someone, on the other side of the bed. He had no idea why, but for some reason Ariadne was on the same bed as him and Zoe, though she kept as much distance to them as possible. But it didn't matter why she was here, all he could focus on now was to find a way to get away from Zoe before she wakes up. And Ariadne was most likely his only chance left to achieve that.

"Ariadne!" He hissed, trying with his free arm to reach her. But the beds in this suit were huge and the daughter of Apollo was out of his reach. "Aria!" He wanted to shout, but that would have woken up Zoe. And he really did not want that.

The blond girl finally stirred, turning towards Percy with a drowsy look on her face. "Go away, let me sleep." She slurred lightly, before her head dropped back onto the pillow.

"Wake up dammit. Zoe will be furious once she wakes up and..." He stopped when he noted that Ariadne was sleeping once more. "Aria!" He hissed more loudly this time.

"Go away..."

"I would if I could!" He snapped back. Much louder than he had wanted. Much to his horror Zoe started to stir. He looked down towards Zoe, before he paled drastically. "I'm screwed."

* * *

Grover was woken by loud ruckus in the neighboring bedroom, the sound of something crashing, followed by loud yelling. The Satyr had no idea what was happening around him, as he sleepily walked into the living room of the large suite, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Jackson! What in the name of the gods do you think you're doing!" Grover's eyes snapped open when he recognized that voice. He prayed that he was wrong, that he was sleep walking and hearing things... that this was a mere dream. But no luck. Percy suddenly ran out of the other bedroom, a frightened look on his face.

"Grover, take cover. Angry huntress incoming!" Percy yelled as he grabbed Grover's arm and pulled the Satyr along, before he jumped over the couch. Moments later a silver arrow hit the back of the couch, a second arrow following soon after.

"Come back you coward. Stop hiding and face your punishment, you vile man." Zoe yelled angrily, as she left the bedroom, her bow in her hand, a new arrow appearing in her hand.

"I'm sorry, Zoe. Really. Just let me explain and..."

"Shut up. I won't have your lies. You are just as disgusting as all those other men. No more excuses, no more lies. I won't be fooled by you." Her rant continued for some more time, throwing more curses his way.

A loud yawn announced the arrival of the last missing person in the suite, as Ariadne joined them with a smirk on her face. "Calm down, Zoe. This isn't half as bad as you think." She told the older girl. "You look more rested than I have seen you in years. Had a good night? Or was it your pillow?" She chuckled when Zoe looked at her darkly, a small blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, before she once more tried to aim for Percy's head, as the boy looked over the back of the couch to see the two girls.

"Aria, you are not helping here!" He said, before he had to duck again. Zoe wouldn't come any closer at least. Though she was confident that she could beat him in close combat, she wouldn't take any risks this time. She had him trapped behind the couch, all ways out of the suite would lead him through her line of fire.

"Fine, fine. Spoilsport." Ariadne relented. "Zoe, what do you remember about yesterday evening?" She walked over to Zoe, placing a hand one her arm, pushing it down, so Zoe would not shoot Percy again.

"I was searching for that pig..." She said angrily, before a look of realization crossed her face. She muttered curses in ancient Greek, so fast that neither of the demigods had any chance to understand her. But judging by her voice she was furious. Percy just hoped that he was no longer the target of that fury.

"Someone drugged you. It was in the water. You were completely out of it when we found you." Percy said, careful to stay hidden.

"And then you decided to take advantage of me!" Zoe accused.

Ariadne shook her head in astonishment. "I'm surrounded by idiots." She muttered, before she addressed Zoe once more. "He did not take advantage of you, Zoe. In fact he saved you from some shady guy who tried to... hook up with you."

Zoe looked at the younger girl with disbelieve clearly written all over her face. "You're kidding. Him, saving me? He only exists to make a mockery of the Hunters. Why would he..."

"He did save you." Ariadne repeated with insistence. "He is a better person than you might believe. He saved you, though he had no reason to do it. The only reason why you ended up sleeping on his chest was because you wouldn't let go of his arm and fell on top of him when he tried to bring you to bed."

"Yeah, talk about a Titan's grip." Percy muttered, as he rubbed the place where Zoe had grabbed his arm for the majority of the night.

Zoe seemed to calm down slightly after she thought about what she had heard. It was hard to believe. But Ariadne had no reason to lie to her? Or was she really a traitor like Phoebe had implied? "Let's pretend that your claims are true, who has drugged me?"

"You are the huntress with more than two millenia of experience. You tell us. You were already off to La-La-land when we found you." Percy said, as he finally felt bold enough to stand up again.

"I... those attendants... they bothered me about getting me something to drink. I told them to leave me alone, but they just came back..."

"So you ordered a glass of water, just so they would leave you alone." Ariadne finished for Zoe. The older girl nodded to that.

"It neither smelled nor tasted any different from normal water. I had no reason to believe that there was something in it. I was cautious." Zoe said, before she started pacing. She made her bow disappear again, much to obvious relief all other people in the room.

"It was nigh on impossible to trace." Percy told her, as he slowly left the safety of the couch. Grover though still cowered there, not convinced that the huntress would remain peaceful now.

"And how did you find out about it then?" It came out like an insult, which it most likely was. But it was also another veiled accusation.

"I know, because I am His son." Percy said slightly agitated. "I can feel when there is something in the water that should not be there." Zoe still looked at him, an unspoken accusation visible in her eyes. "And you're welcome, I was glad that I could help you." He said, before he walked towards the bathroom in a huff.

"He really means you no harm, Zoe." Ariadne said with a disappointed look. "He is much better than you give him credit for. I really thought that his actions last night would help you understand that, but maybe you just like being a bitter eternal maiden." Without even looking at Zoe she walked over to the couch to watch TV. '_Maybe some things just can't be changed'_, she thought, feeling resigned.

Zoe though stayed where she was, thinking about what she had been told about the evening before. About what Percy had done, that he had saved her when she was unable to protect herself. But just that little fact caused her some of her resentment. She was not weak. She did not need to be saved, least of all by a male. She just couldn't fathom why this boy should be different from all others.

* * *

Meanwhile Percy had locked himself up in the bathroom, taking a long morning shower. He enjoyed the feeling of cool water on his skin, something that came with his heritage. It refreshed him, gave him new energy and allowed him to think better. But at the moment he did not want to think. He just wanted to cool off. He had to. It wouldn't do to be angry, it wouldn't help him in the slightest. But Zoe and her darn prejudices... it was simply infuriating. He saved her last night, he had saved the lives of the other Hunters time and time again. Yet he still had to put up with her unfounded accusations and hostility.

"Too damn stubborn for her own good," Percy muttered, as the water washed over him.

"Some people are just like that, Perce." Another voice suddenly announced.

Percy yelped in surprise, quickly grabbing a towel to cover himself as he jumped out of the shower. He was sure that he had locked the door. But when he saw his sudden visitor he knew that a locked door would not keep him safe at all. At least not from him.

"Hermes? What are you doing here?"

"The usual, you know. Flying here, flying there. Delivering messages like some damn carrier pigeon." The god said with some amusement.

"Aha..."

"And a certain goddess has asked me to bring you this." A package suddenly appeared in his hands. He threw it to Percy with a wide grin. "You know she really would have liked to come herself, but most gods are wary of this place."

"The gods are actually scared of something?" Percy asked in disbelieve.

"Not scared, just wary. Better be careful here, Percy. Let your guard down and you will never leave this place again."

"You mean like the stuff they spiked Zoe's drink with?"

Hermes nodded to that. "It's more than just that. Mortals are trapped here once they enter. They will never leave. Even demigods have a hard time. You might not feel it yet, but it will come. The pull. Don't stay here longer than necessary." It was rare for Percy to see Hermes this serious about something. The god was usually rather carefree and easygoing when he was with Apollo.

"And you are not wary of this place?"

"Nah, I visit worse places on a regular basis." Hermes replied with a smirk.

"You do know that one of your sons is here."

Hermes sighed, knowing all about Percy's meeting with Luke. "I know."

"Luke loathes your existence. He didn't share why he hates you, but some of the things he said about living at camp in your cabin are very bad. You really should do something to help your kids... or stop having so many of them."

Hermes looked slightly annoyed at Percy, not amused about being berated by a twelve year old demigod. But at the same time he knew that there was some truth to Percy's words. But he knew that this was not the sole reason why Luke disliked him so much.

"My relationship to my son has always been strained. But that is a topic for another day." He really did not wish to discuss this here and now. And not with Percy.

"If you say so." Percy knew it was never good to pry. Not when you are talking to a god about a rather touchy subject.

"Anyway, I have to get moving. Got another delivery for your dad and it's better to not make him wait." Hermes walked over to Percy and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Oh, and congratulations. Didn't think you had it in you. First night in a bed with two beautiful girls. We are so proud of our young apprentice." He winked at Percy one last time, before he disappeared in a flash, laughing slightly about Percy's bright red face.

"We were just..." But Hermes was gone before he could finish his sentence. He looked annoyed at place where Hermes had stood, before his gaze shifted towards the package in his hand. Hermes said it was from a goddess... he really hoped it wasn't something with a nasty trap inside, Artemis was surely mad. Or she would be once she found out what had happened last night.

He opened the package carefully. Luckily it was not a trap. Far from it. It was some new clothing. Black slacks and a white dress shirt, together with some new shiny black shoes... he really did not know what to think about this. Then he found a card inside.

'Dear Percy,

I really can't stand to see you trying to win over girls in those atrocious rags you are wearing at the moment. So I took the liberty to give you something more fitting for Olympus' favorite new Casanova.

With love, your favorite goddess

PS: Don't worry about fighting, these clothes are much more durable than they look

PSS: Try to charm your chosen girls a bit more before you take them to bed next time, that way you won't have to suffer the consequences on the next morning.'

Percy read the card once more, just to be sure he had not made a mistake. There was no doubt who this self-proclaimed 'favorite goddess' was. There were traces of lipstick where any normal person would have signed with their name. And the paper reeked of perfume. _'Great, as if there aren't already enough gods and goddesses with an unhealthy interest in me,'_ Percy thought as he frowned. "Don't you all have something better to do than to watch me struggle on the possibly last days of my life?" He asked in annoyance. He didn't expect an answer, he could easily imagine it.

He put the package away to look for his normal clothes, so he could get dressed again. But much to his annoyance they were gone... "Hermes! You damn thief, that was my favorite shirt!" He muttered angrily, before he took the clothing he had gotten from Aphrodite. He would have to wear this, Zoe would kill him on the spot should he leave the bathroom half-naked.

* * *

Outside of the bathroom no one would have guessed that there had been a god visiting them. Ariadne was still watching TV, not looking at Zoe even once. The huntress had started pacing around in the room, struggling with herself, her own convictions and her opinion of Percy Jackson and men in general.

Grover sat on the couch as well, though he kept as much distance from either girl as physically possible. He watched them both wearily, trying to figure out how exactly he had ended up in this situation. One moment he was dreaming peacefully about the wilds and his favorite food, the next moment he was woken up by the ruckus in the next door bedroom. And now this...

"Calm down, Grover. It's not like she will hurt you for no apparent reason." Ariadne said soothingly, when she saw Grover, as the Satyr started chewing on a cushion.

"But..."

"How comes a coward like you ended up with someone as reckless as Jackson?" Zoe asked him, as she watched Grover with an evaluating expression.

Grover hesitated for a moment, not sure what to answer the huntress. "I... Percy is my friend. During the time at school he always stood up for me when others bullied and belittled me... He is a good friend, the best a Satyr could wish for. There is no way I would abandon him." He said the last part with more fervor than anyone would have expected from him.

"You're a good friend, to stand with him despite the danger he is in." Ariadne said with a smile.

"Following him, helping him is foolish." Zoe looked critically at Grover, but this time Grover wouldn't budge. He looked back almost defiantly. And Ariadne smirked when she saw the Satyr's reaction. "And you, Ariadne, what is your excuse for siding with this boy? Do not tell me that he has somehow ensnared you."

"No. But Percy is a good person and he deserves to be helped." Zoe merely scoffed at that. "I owe him my life. He saved me without ever asking for anything in return."

"He just waits for a chance to..."

"No. Your hatred of all men blinds you, Zoe. Percy is different." Ariadne said, though her words had little to no effect on Zoe. "And to tell you something. You owe him, too."

"He never saved me. I was never in need of help from the likes of him."

"He didn't save your life, he saved your virtue. Here in this building, just yesterday evening. Had he not saved you... let's just say that your time as eternal maiden would be over by now." Ariadne allowed herself a triumphant expression, a wide smirk, when she saw that Zoe had no retort at hand. She had actually managed to shut Zoe up.

"It... it doesn't matter. He may or may not have saved me, but in the end he is still our target. We are hunting him, it is what Lady Artemis has ordered us to do."

"Lady Artemis says this, Lady Artemis said that, you sound like a broken record all the time. My aunt does not need mindless drones, she needs capable Hunters that can think for themselves."

"I think that I know better what..." Zoe started, but she was interrupted.

"Enough. We shouldn't fight." Percy said, as he rejoined the group.

"Percy, what are you wearing?" Ariadne asked curiously.

"Don't ask. I just got pranked by Hermes and Aphrodite... I think..." He sighed. "But it doesn't matter. Zoe," He looked at the older girl, who in return glared at him. "All you want is to capture me, so you can fulfill your orders." Zoe didn't answer, she just looked at him as if his intelligence was in question now. "But I can't allow that. If you capture me today, I will be dead before the month is over."

Both Ariadne and Zoe looked surprised when they heard that. They knew that Lord Zeus wanted Percy captured and brought to Olympus, but they did not think that it would be this serious. "Percy, surely Lord Zeus wouldn't..."

"It is not Lord Zeus who will kill me, but his brother Hades. I am currently on a quest for Hades. My only choice to stop him from sending his monsters after me all the time. Once I have finished this quest, he will accept my existence and no longer try to kill me just for being my father's son."

"But what kind of quest would he want you to do?"

"I have to find two demigods in this building. I told you so yesterday, Ariadne. Hades ordered me to find them and bring them to him." Percy said, before he slumped on an armchair across from the couch.

"So you are willing to sacrifice two innocent demigods to save your own ass? You vile, worthless..."

"No. Hades had sworn that they will not come to harm. I wouldn't have agreed to this otherwise."

"Than what does he want those children for? He isn't exactly known for being nice to random kids." Ariadne interjected.

"I have an idea about that. Those two might be..."

"His own children, hidden here from Zeus." Zoe finished for him. Percy nodded in agreement. "And now he wants you to bring them to him, knowing that with Apollo as your patron they would be safer in your presence, than by being guarded by one of his monsters."

"He doesn't fully trust his minions with his kids' safety. At least that is the only explanation I have for this Quest." He then looked at Zoe with a determined expression. "Zoe, I make you a deal. Allow me to finish this quest and I will surrender to you without any more resistance. This is my only chance to appease Hades, don't try to ruin this."

"And you expect me to believe you? To allow you to walk away, so you can mock us again? I don't trust you, Percy Jackson." She glared at him to emphasize her point, but he merely glared back.

"Than come along. Watch me during my quest. And once I am done you can just bring me to your goddess." He stood up and walked over to her, stopping only a feet away from her, which caused her look rather unhappy. It was plain obvious that she did not like to have him, or any male for the matter, in such close proximity. But he did not care about that, he merely stuck his hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

Zoe looked at the offered hand like it was some foreign object she had never seen before. She hesitated, thinking about all the pros and cons that this offer brought along. She would finish her own mission in a way. But at the same time it would mean to side with Percy for some time and she was not very enthusiastic about that.

"Just take his damn hand, Zoe." Ariadne exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "Either you take his offer or you will have to fight all of us at once. And believe me, we will leave this place, with or without you."

"So you made you choice? You chose him?" So Phoebe was right, Ariadne had chosen to help Percy escape. She had betrayed the Hunters. Ariadne did not answer that question. "Fine. But try one foul trick and I will not hesitate to take you down, Jackson." She said, but she still refused to shake his hand.

Percy smirked when he heard her answer. He had not really expected her to shake his hand. "Good. Now let's get to work. We need to find those kids. And we shouldn't waste any time. Hermes has warned me about this place. It is dangerous. Something or someone is trying to force us to stay here. Leaving will become harder the longer we wait."

"And what about Phoebe? We can't just leave her here, not if this place is dangerous." Zoe interjected.

"Right. She is here as well, I forgot." Percy thought for a moment, before he walked over to the phone of the suite. All others looked at him skeptical, unsure what he was about to do. "Yes, this is Percy Jackson, suite 814 speaking. I wanted to ask whether you can help us with finding some persons of our group that went missing last night." He listened for a moment, before he started describing Phoebe. Unfortunately he knew little to nothing about the other two demigods he was searching for, else he would have asked for them as well. But knowing nothing more than their first names was not much of a help here. "Oh, so you've found her, great. Oh. What did she do?" He sounded exasperated, even letting out a frustrated sigh, when he listened to what Phoebe had done. "Yes, yes. We will come and get her. Thank you. Is it just down the main lobby? Okay." He hung up not long after, an annoyed look on his face.

"Good news, I know where Phoebe is."

"And?" Zoe asked.

"She got into a fight with another guest and spent the night in one of the casino's holding cells. We have to go down to the cells and bail her out."

"I knew I shouldn't have allowed her to walk around alone. Some man must have annoyed her by staring at her or hitting on her..." Zoe said, as she shook her head dejectedly.

"Actually she started a fight with another girl." This surprised all others in the room. "But we have no time for that now. We should go and get her. The sooner she is with us, the sooner we can find Bianca and Nico."

* * *

Without waiting for long the group left the suit to free Phoebe. On their way down to the lobby Percy could only marvel how he had ended up in such situations again and again. Now he would have two Hunters traveling with him, something that he had not planned for. His group was growing more and more. At first it was just Grover and him, but then Ariadne chose to help him, now Zoe and Phoebe would watch his every step until they had reached the Underworld. This couldn't be normal. He was pretty sure that no other demigod had to put up with something like this. Just his luck... or like usual, somehow it was all Apollo's fault.

Once they had reached the security area of the casino only Percy and Zoe entered the area with the holding cells. As an employee brought them to the cells he recounted what Phoebe had done the day before. He left them alone for some moments to get the keys to release Phoebe, giving the three demigods a chance to talk.

Phoebe had already spotted them and sent a withering glare at Percy. "Zoe, thank the gods you are here. Those damn pigs had the gall to arrest me. Just because I taught that upstart a lesson." She gestured towards a neighboring cell, where another girl with stringy blond hair was watching them through narrowed eyes.

Percy shivered involuntarily when he saw her expression, feeling oddly reminded of a certain god that had made it a habit to beat him to a bloody pulp at least once a year. "Oh shit. Just how many more demigods are in this damn casino?"

"What? She is one as well?" Zoe asked in surprise.

"Yep. One of Ares little blighters if I'm not mistaken."

"Got a problem with that?" The girl growled at him.

Percy raised an eyebrow when he heard her. "Yep, definitely his. Same temper and fierce glare."

"Phoebe, why exactly did you pick a fight with that daughter of the war-god?"

"To teach that runt a lesson."

"Come here and I'll teach you a lesson, you wannabe nymph!" The other girl shot back.

"Oh this will be headache." The employee had not yet returned, but Percy already knew what he would have to do. Again he cursed Apollo. This had to be his fault. Only he would find it funny to torment his champion like this. The other gods merely wanted him dead. "Zoe, I believe we should take that one with us as well. I don't like the idea of leaving any demigods behind in this place. Not after what Hermes had told me."

"Fine. I'll keep Phoebe in line, but that child of Ares is your problem." Zoe said lordly. She was surprised that he would even think about taking this girl with him as well. It was obvious that she would cause trouble, yet the son of Poseidon decided to help her. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was slightly impressed by his decision. But she wouldn't allow one single experience to blind her. He was still just a male that existed to make a mockery of all Hunters.

Finally the employee returned with the key. "This girl is also part of our group. Would you please release her as well?" Percy asked the man. The employee looked strangely at Percy, but relented and released both Phoebe and the other girl.

Not a moment out of her cell Phoebe already tried to rush at Percy and pin him against the nearby wall to capture him, but Zoe blocked her path. "No, Phoebe. We will go with Jackson for a while. I will explain later." Phoebe looked at Zoe in disbelieve. "You will do as I tell you, Phoebe. This is an order. You will not attack him... or that girl. Stay calm."

"So, I'm Percy, that one is Zoe... well and you already know Phoebe. So what is your name?" Percy asked the new girl.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares and I will kick your ass if you as much as look at me the wrong way, prissy."

"Maybe I will even like this girl one day..." Phoebe said with a smirk.

"Pick a number, Wargirl. There is a long waiting line." Percy said, before he started walking out of the security area of the casino. He really needed to find those demigods Hades ordered him to find. The sooner he found them, the sooner his life would return to at least some form of normality.

* * *

**A\N: So now it has been revealed. The last member of Luke's and Annabeth's group was Clarisse. It wasn't really that important whom I would pick, but I thought that Ares's daughter would be the most fun to add at this point. **

**Well this was the second of three chapters in the Casino. This was mostly about Percy's group and more reluctant companions. I know, not much action, but even chapters like this have to be added sometimes.**

**The scene at the beginning, Percy's dream, is part of the bigger background story that will span all books until TLO. Let's see if anyone can figure out who this voice belongs to. I already said it is neither Kronos nor Chaos. Both would have been excellent choices, but they would have been too obvious. Oh well, one day all will be revealed and I can promise it won't take until the very end.**


	10. Chapter 10

Bianca di Angelo walked aimlessly through the Lotus Casino, looking around, searching. A displeased frown marred her face, as she looked for her younger brother, who had yet again escaped her. She had no idea why, but for the last few days she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was after them. But she had no idea who or why someone would search for them. She had warned her brother, yet Nico had run off again.

She loved her brother dearly, but after all that time they had spent inside this building she couldn't help herself but wonder why she was forced to watch out for him all the time. Where were their parents? Why couldn't she remember anything before they came to this place.

She had wondered about the mystery that was her life so many times before, but she never found any answers. And most of the time she could never finish her musings. More often than not she had to keep an eye out for brother.

She had already searched all of Nico's favorite activities inside the hotel and the casino, but so far she had no luck. Her brother was nowhere to be found. She was about to give up and return to their room, when she saw a very curious group in the lobby, arguing about something. Two boys, accompanied by 4 girls, all of them acting oddly. Two of the girls glared at every man and boy who passed them with great disdain, while another girl with blond hair threw angry looks at one of the other girls.

Only when she got closer she could hear what they were talking about. She carefully hid in the shadow of a large potted plant to avoid being seen, as she listened to their conversation. "We shouldn't waste any more time here." One of the boys said. "Clarisse, I believe you should return to your group, Luke should be worried by now." The other boy looked extremely surprised when he heard the name, but Bianca had no idea why. But she had recognized the boy who had spoken. It was the same boy she had seen in the lift the day before. The same boy who had muttered something about Apollo.

"Yeah, I better get going before Nymphy over there tries to start another fight she cannot win." The girl, Clarrise, looked mockingly at one of the silver clad girls, who glared right back. Then the girl left the group and walked towards the elevators.

"Okay, now that this is over we need to get back to my Quest."

"And how do you plan on finding them, Percy?"

"I have no idea. You girls are the hunters here, maybe you have some tricks to find your targets. Come on, Ariadne, please tell me you have an idea." Percy half asked, half begged,

Bianca was about to leave, since she did not feel all to happy with herself for eavesdropping on some people she did not even know. But she stopped mid step when she heard the next few comments.

"You only know their names, right?" Ariadne asked.

Percy nodded. "Yes. Alecto said their names are Bianca and Nico. She didn't tell me more about them. Stupid quests, always making things harder with these stupid riddles." Percy grumbled.

Bianca stared at them wide eyed, shocked when she heard him say her name. Was she right? Was there really someone after her and her brother? But this group, all of them looked like they were her age, at least not much older. Why would such a strange group of kids be searching for her and Nico? And who was this Alecto? The name sounded familiar, but Bianca did not know where she had heard it before.

"Why are we even helping this boy, Zoe? Lady Artemis has ordered us to capture him. We shouldn't waste our time talking about his quest."

"Quiet, Phoebe. I said we will talk about this later." Zoe chided harshly. "And you..." She turned to Grover with a sharp look. "You are a Satyr, shouldn't you be able to smell them?"

"I doubt it, with all of us here together. I smell, you smell... some of us even worse than others, since they live in the wild like savages." He looked over to Phoebe, as he whispered the last part to Ariadne. Meanwhile Phoebe looked ready to pounce him, though Zoe easily managed to keep her in check. "What I mean is that even if Bianca and Nico reek, Grover will always only smell us." Percy reasoned.

Bianca couldn't help herself but sniff at her own clothes. Just what did they mean when they said that this Grover guy could smell them? She had taken a shower just this morning, she wasn't smelly, thank you very much.

Meanwhile Ariadne slapped Percy lightly on the back of his head, before she said, "Idiot. If they are really Hades children then their smell should be very strong. Just like yours, but different." She scowled slightly at Percy, but her expression quickly returned to an almost mockingly sweet face. "And you never tell a girl that she smells, no matter if it's true or not."

"All right, all right." Percy held his hands up in mock surrender. "So, G-man, can you smell something different?"

Bianca knew that this was the moment for her to leave. If those people were really hunting her and her brother, then she had to get away. She had to find Nico and find a good place to hide. Oh how she cursed the curious mind of her brother now. Of all the times she had to disappear now.

She turned around, intent on walking away. At first she believed that she might escaped them, disappear in the crowd, but then she heard someone yelling at her to stop. Afraid of her pursuers she ran away as fast as she could. But they were hot on her heels, running faster than any normal child should be able to.

"Wait! Bianca, wait, we need to talk." One of the boys yelled after her. In her haste she even lost her hat, which hid most of her hair and face from view, revealing her silky black hair. But she did not stop. She was sure that nothing good would come of it. She ran around another corner, into a dimly lit corridor. But much to her horror she ended up in a dead-end. The only door was locked and she was trapped.

The whole group she had seen before appeared before her now, unreadable expressions on most of their faces. Then one of the boys. Percy she reminded herself, was coming closer, while the girls watched her curiously. Especially one of the girls, a girl with eyes just as dark as her own, watched her with an almost evaluating expression.

"Hey. We really mean you no harm. We only want to talk." Percy said, as he came closer.

But Bianca did not trust his words. Instead she tried to increase her distance to him, though all attempts were futile. She almost tried to hide in the shadow of the dimly lit place. She always felt better, safer, inside of the shadows. But suddenly it was as if the wall behind her had disappeared and she fell backwards into the shadow, much to her own shock and that of her pursuers. She saw Percy's last attempt to grab her arm, but he was too late and she was gone.

"Now we definitely know that she is a daughter of Hades. They are the only demigods known to have the ability to shadow travel." Zoe stated with a thoughtful expression. It had been many centuries since she had last met a child of Hades. And never to her knowledge had there been any of his daughters in the Hunt. She knew only hearsay about the powers of these demigods and that did not sit well with her.

* * *

Artemis had been quiet for some time, neither speaking to her Hunters, nor to Hermes, as the god visited her to deliver a message from her father. She had been shocked when she had found out that Apollo and some other gods had conspired against her and her Hunters, embarrassing them in front of all of Olympus. To find out that everything that had happened could be watched on Hephaestus TV was a shock for the goddess of the Hunt. Everyone was watching them, evaluating them. This was a whole new situation for her and her girls.

But at the same time she also appreciated the chance this had offered to her. She could watch her girls, Zoe and Phoebe... and Ariadne. She knew that they were safe. She even saw how Percy saved Zoe from a fate that would have been worse than death for the girl. Zoe would have had to leave the Hunt, had she lost her virtue that night. That was the rule. And Artemis knew that Zoe could not live without the Hunt. For millenia she had been her attendant, Zoe had served her faithfully. But at the same time she had more and more increased her own distance to the changes in the mortal world and the entire world outside of the Hunt. But despite all Artemis had expected of the son of Poseidon, Percy had protected Zoe, and for that she was grateful.

But even that gratitude knew bounds, and Percy was definitely pushing them. When he ended up sharing the same bed with Zoe he was definitely asking to get hurt. To the goddess his predicament was not caused by Zoe's strong grip, but by his unwillingness to leave the girl alone. In her opinion Zoe did not punish him enough for his plunder. But that could easily be remedied. She would make sure that he would spent some quality time as a Jackalope until she had to bring him to her father. It would teach him not to get this close to her Hunters.

She scowled when she felt a familiar presence coming closer. Another god. Not Hermes, he wouldn't return for some time after he tried to flirt with some of her girls. No it was someone she would have never expected to visit her. And now he was about to enter her tent, uninvited, but the gods never cared much for such minor offenses. At least he did not try to hide his presence.

"Poseidon, I must say I had not expected you to come here." She did not turn towards the entrance of the tent as her guest stepped in. She did not look at him, neither did she pay him the same respect she would shown her father, though the Big Three all demanded more deference than any other gods.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, moon goddess, for I am not my father." The voice sounded younger, much younger than that of the god of the sea. Surprised she turned around to see her guest. What she saw was the greenish skin and black hair of Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. The god bowed mockingly before her, though Artemis could clearly see a glint in his eyes that she did not like at all. Triton was known to be a prideful man, so bowing to another god, a goddess no less, was clearly not his favorite pastime.

"What are you doing here? Playing messenger for you father? I have no time to waste on foolishness." Artemis snapped, as she watched him through narrowed eyes. But he did not flinch at her tone, neither did he show much of any reaction to her.

"My father does not know about my presence here. He does not know much of anything. Lord Zeus keeps him close at all times in order to keep him away from... my brother. At least until we all know for sure on whose side he is really on." He said the word brother as if it was something foul, his fist clenched.

Artemis looked at him almost disdainfully, as she picked up one of her hunting knives from a nearby table and started sharpening it in front of him. "And why exactly did you come to bother me? I have no time for this foolishness."

"This is about Perseus."

"What about Perseus?" She asked challenging.

"You should be careful, moon goddess, my father is not a person you would want to cross. None of your Hunters would be safe near any body of water ever again."

Artemis glared became murderous when she heard his threat. She had to give it to him, he had guts to say such things in front of her, in the middle of her camp and so far away from his own domain. But maybe he was just cocky. And stupid, like most men she had met so far.

"You must not interfere with Perseus current quest. Let him finish Hades' task." He smirked, obviously feeling superior to her, despite her being a member of the Olympian council and him being merely a minor god. But he knew that her weak point had always been and will always be her Hunters. She would not allow any harm to befall them.

"I have orders from my father. I will capture Jackson and drag him in front of the council." She retorted with a look that promised pain. Though she would not risk open conflict with Poseidon by harming his godly son, she would not tolerate his insolence either.

"Do not test me, moon goddess. Not two days ago I have fought with of a Titan. You and your girls are nothing in comparison. But do not fear your father's wrath. You shall capture my dearest brother." Just by watching his expression change, it was easy to see that Triton had little love for his half-brother, yet he was here to dissuade the goddess of the Hunt from interfering with Percy's quest. Artemis couldn't hide her curiosity about his reasons.

"You demand your brother's safety, yet with the same breath you speak of selling him out to me. What are your father's true intentions? Why did he really send you here?"

"It was not my father who has sent me. And my reasons are none of your concern." Triton said arrogantly, before he turned around to leave. "Heed my warning. Do not act before Perseus quest is complete or else there will be great consequences." The next moment he was gone, disappearing in a whirl of water, leaving behind nothing but moist air and the smell of the sea.

Artemis was fuming now, her silver eyes shining with hatred. The audacity of this god, of this man. To come to her camp and tell her what to do. His arrogance obviously knew no bounds. But what should she expect of one like him. Yet she couldn't help herself but compare Triton to Percy, his half brother. They were nothing alike. They only shared the some of their looks, but their personality was so different. Percy was respectful and had never shown this kind of arrogance. If she had to choose, she knew which son of Poseidon she would prefer. But who had sent Triton, if not his father? Who else had the power to command Poseidon's heir.

* * *

Clarisse was not having a good day. It had just turned out as shitty as the last day had ended. She knew that things were bound to go wrong, the moment she and her two quest mates had entered this casino. Luke had been odd ever since they had met her father. He even went off on his own. And Annabeth, always the faithful cheerleader, trusted all of his decisions. But of course she would trust him. They were like siblings, ever since they had come to the camp together.

And when Luke decided to explore this building alone, Clarisse was left alone with the daughter of Athena. And for all her intelligence, Annabeth just did not know when to stop annoying the daughter of Ares, so Clarisse left their room in anger. She needed to cool of, so she went to explore the Casino by herself, hoping that she might find a way to blow some steam.

And she found what she was looking for in the form of another demigod, a girl in silver clothing that looked at every person around her with great disdain. And though Clarisse did not confront that girl as soon as she saw her, she eventually bumped into her. And as two tempers clashed, they couldn't help but argue. Arguing lead to yelling, yelling lead to threats, threats lead to a full out fist fight. She couldn't remember who had won, but she knew that she woke up in a holding cell, the other girl in the cell next to her, still unconscious.

The other girl, Phoebe, as Clarisse found out later, woke up soon after her. And their arguing resumed, though they could no longer fight each other with more than words in their predicament. But Phoebe's friends arrived soon and bailed the girl out. And to her surprise, they freed her as well. Clarisse had no idea why, but just seeing that grin on the boy, Percy's face made her want to punch him. Little did she know that this was a trait she shared with her father.

But her streak of bad luck was not over yet. Far from it. The moment she had returned to the room she had shared with Annabeth and Luke she only found a message. Only a small piece of paper with a message, nothing else. She swore by her father that she would find those two and show them not to mess with a daughter of Ares. So they couldn't find her when they felt the urge to leave this place? Fine, let them run like cowards. But to tell her to return to camp alone, that they would finish the quest without her... that was a blow to Clarisse's pride that she would not accept.

Cursing her unfaithful quest mates, she stormed down the hall towards the elevators, intent on leaving the Casino. She wouldn't go back to the camp, no she would find the others and give them a piece of her mind.

She was already in the elevator, the doors closed shut, when a foreboding feeling overcame her. Like something was about to happen. Good or bad, she couldn't tell. One of the lights in the elevator was not working, so the small space was only dimly lit, something that increased her trepidation slightly. And before she knew what was happening some dropped on her. Right out of the shadows.

"What the..." Clarisse yelled loudly, as she pushed the person, a young girl, off her. "Where the Hades have you come from?" Before the other girl knew what was happening, the daughter of Ares had already grabbed her and started shaking the girl violently. "Just who do you think you are to come here like this and drop on me like this."

The other girl could only stare at her in shock. One moment she was in a dead-end, trapped by those strange people hunting her, and the next moment she was in an elevator, dropping on an angry and obviously violent girl.

A loud 'Ping' announced the elevator's arrival on the ground level and the doors opened wide, revealing the scene inside to all people who had waited. Bianca did not know whether it was good or bad luck, but the people standing in front of the lift just happened to be Percy and Zoe, who both watched Clarisse's actions with surprised expressions.

"Clarisse, stop it. You are hurting her dammit." Percy said, as he finally approached her and tried to free Bianca from her grasp. But his attempts were rebuffed several times. Just like her father, Clarisse's strength only increased when she got angry.

"Phoebe, help him." Zoe ordered sternly, clearly not amused by the scene they were causing. The grin on the other Huntress' face showed that she was almost too eager to do something that could possibly harm the other girl. It was obvious that Phoebe and Clarisse would not really get along any time soon.

Together Phoebe and Percy finally managed to separate Bianca and Clarisse, who was slowly calming down again. "Just what is wrong with you, Clarisse?" Percy couldn't help himself but ask her in astonishment. He really hoped that at least Ares children would be a bit more... socially acceptable. But as it seemed his hopes were all for naught.

Sadly his question just triggered Clarisse's volatile temper again. "What is wrong with me? You ask what is wrong with me? I tell you what. I had to go on a shitty quest with wing boy and his little fan-girl only to be abandoned by them now."

"Just why would your group abandon you?" Ariadne asked with a smirk. It was a rhetorical question. Clarisse would have jumped up and throttled the blond girl, but Phoebe still held her down forcefully. Her pride could not stand any more beatings today.

"They left me only a note, saying that they had to leave and that they have found a young demigod. They took the boy with them, so they could bring him to camp once they are done with their quest."

Bianca looked shocked when she heard that, already knowing who this young demigod is. "Nico..." She whispered almost inaudibly. But Percy heard her.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they won't harm your brother. The camp is a safe place for demigods after all."

"Big words from a demigod who has avoided the camp like it is a plague." Ariadne comment with a mirthful expression. She had been to the camp a few times when the Hunters visited the other demigods. But from all she knew, Percy was one of the few trained demigods, that have never even once sent food inside Camp Half-blood.

"I just never had the time..."

"What... what will you do with me?" Bianca asked cautiously. She had little hope that she could escape this group again, so she surrendered herself to her fate.

"I was tasked with bringing you away from this place." Percy replied vaguely. "No harm will come to you as long as I can prevent it." She looked slightly reassured by his words, but not by much.

"Who has asked you to do this?"

Percy was reluctant to answer, but Zoe took the decision away from him. "Your father. A man who has obviously abandoned you and your sibling, just like all males do."

"You really should not talk about my uncle like that. Believe me, he can get really nasty when he is angry." Percy replied cautiously.

"Your my cousin?" Bianca looked at Percy in surprise when she heard his words. Could it be? She had never seen any member of her family except her brother... or at least she did not remember anyone else. Not even her parents. Was Percy really related to her? And was it really her father who had sent him here?

"I think so." Percy replied, realizing for the first time that Bianca was indeed his cousin, though he did not know how such a relationship should be called, since it was from the godly side of their family. And the gods defied most definitions of a normal family.

"Percy, we got company." Ariadne said, as she saw several security men of the casino approach them.

"Damn. Looks like we have already overstayed our welcome." Percy looked slightly disappointed. He actually like the comfort of the hotel. Though he could do without the nasty surprises in the morning. "Time to leave." The others merely nodded. None of them objected.

"Sir, do we have a problem here?" One of the security men asked, as he stopped in front of Percy, his gaze on Phoebe who was still restraining Clarisse, though the daughter of Ares no longer showed any outward signs of her violent temper.

"No, we are just about to leave this place."

"I'm afraid that is not possible at the moment, sir." The guard replied almost monotonously.

Percy looked confused at first, before annoyance took over. "I do think we pass. It was nice here, but we have to move on. Got places to be, things to do and so on."

"That was not optional, sir." The guard said, this time with a hint of aggression in his voice. "You still have unfinished business here."

"I'll come back later for the rest of the entertainment." Several more security men approached them now, blocking their path towards the exit. Phoebe immediately let go of Clarisse and jumped up, craving a good fight. Clarisse did the same, for the same reason as the Hunter.

"Only you can attract a fight when you have a simple task like leaving a hotel, Percy." Ariadne said, as she stood next to him.

"It's my charm. I attract people who wish to hurt me."

Meanwhile Phoebe looked at Zoe, conveying her question without words. Both girls knew each other for long enough to understand the others intentions without the need for many words. "Fine. But make it quick." Zoe said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Phoebe did not need any more encouragement and jumped forward to punch the nearest guard in the face. Not willing to be outdone by the other girl, Clarisse entered the fray as well. "Use the chance and start running. Fight your way out if necessary." Zoe barked at the rest of the group. They weren't like her Hunters. They were not disciplined and not all of them were properly trained. But she knew that they would obey her in this situation. Even Percy would and he was the one who challenged and undermined her authority the most.

The situation quickly turned into an all out brawl, as Phoebe and Clarisse enjoyed their chance to blow some steam by kicking the shit out of the obviously mortal security personal of the Lotus Casino. Percy grabbed Bianca's hand and started running for the exit, dodging several attempts to stop him.

"Phoebe, let's go." Zoe yelled, as they had nearly reached the exit. The other huntress was still busy, but complied with the order. She even took the time to drag Clarisse along, until they had finally reached their destination. But even outside the group continued running until they had put some more distance between themselves and the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

"Did we all make it?" Percy asked, breathing hard after running away in such a hurry. He looked around to see his current companions. Grover was still here, his faithful furry friend would most likely stay by his side until the very end of this insane adventure. Ariadne was there, too, looking almost gleefully happy about their grand escape. She could obviously be just as childish as her father. That made him wonder, when both Ariadne and Clarisse shared such obvious mannerisms with their godly parents, would that mean that he was like Poseidon? He really did not want to imagine that.

The daughter of the war god was also still with them... and was still trying to glare holes into Phoebe's head, an act that the huntress gladly reciprocated. Zoe just looked stoically at something above them, ignoring the rest of the group completely. And he was still holding Bianca's hand, after he had dragged her all the way. Just by looking at his group he had to wonder. '_This must be the oddest group of travelers since the Argonauts...' _He thought as he let out a sigh. His life was just odd ever since he had met Apollo.

"Jackson, which day did we enter the Casino?"

"17th June... why do you ask?"

"Look." She pointed at a large display near another Casino. The current date could be seen in bold letters, shinning brightly. "20th June" Percy was gobsmacked when he saw that. "I could swear we only spent one night inside the Casino..."

"Looks like Hermes was right with what he told you, that place is surely odd." Ariadne commented.

"What will we do now? What will you do with me now?" Bianca asked shyly.

"We need to find you brother, then we will bring the both of you to your father." Percy looked thoughtful for a moment. He had absolutely no clue where Luke and his friend had taken Nico. But what if it wasn't even Nico and the boy was still inside the Lotus Casino? He really did not want to think about it. "Clarisse, any idea where your friends are going?"

"Those imbeciles are not my friends!" Clarisse stated hotly. "And they are headed for the Underworld, at least as long as they follow the Quest."

"This can't be a coincidence. Nah, doesn't matter. We will follow them. Seeing Hades has top priority anyways so it is in our favor to do so."

"Off to LA then." Ariadne said, almost bouncing with excitement.

"I know you are watching, Apollo, one day I will make you pay for getting me into this weird situation..." Percy muttered, thinking about his patron. To Apollo this must be awesome, but to Percy it is not. There were far better things to do then to travel with two Hunters that hated his guts, a violent daughter of Ares, a Satyr, his cousin and Apollo's daughter, to the Underworld itself. Hopefully Hades would not blast him for only showing up with his daughter in the possible case that Luke's new demigod friend was not Nico. But he also knew better than to try and predict the actions of gods... that would be truly futile.


	11. Chapter 11

Traveling alone as a twelve-year-old across the entire country in itself is not an easy task. Even with enough money to buy tickets for any form of transport, obscurity is not easily attainable. People tend to look, and in case of the few overly attentive, seeing a child traveling alone is not seen as normal. Things tend to get worse when the child in question is a demigod.

So far Percy's entire trip across the country had been far less than usual. Being hunted by monsters, gods and a group of man-hating immortal maidens tends to interrupt any peaceful trip. And things only got worse for him after the not so short stop in Las Vegas. His group had grown from two to seven, though Percy definitely did not enjoy the presence of at least three of his new companions.

The rather dysfunctional group finally ended up back in the wilds, to no small part because an incident involving Phoebe, Clarisse and a conductor. Needless to say that their entire group was no longer welcome near any train. Luckily though, they were pretty close to their destination now and could easily walk the last part.

"Foood... need... food..." Grover moaned, as their group walked slowly through the wilderness, careful to avoid any roads. With their current group they had little choice but to do so, since some of their members were not very social.

Phoebe loathed all men, Clarisse loathed Phoebe, but neither would leave any time soon. Phoebe had begrudgingly accepted that she and Zoe had to follow Percy, at least until he had finished his quest. She didn't like it, something she was very vocal about. But she obeyed Zoe's orders and the senior huntress would not allow Percy to leave her sights for more than a minute. And Clarisse... the daughter of Ares would not leave either, but only because she saw Percy's group as the best chance to find her unfaithful former quest-mates, so she can punish them accordingly.

"Maybe we should take a rest." Ariadne said, as she looked at the Satyr with an almost pitying expression. "It's getting late anyway."

Zoe seemed to contemplate that for some moments, before she nodded. Ever since they had run from the Casino she had taken the role of the group's leader. Ariadne and Phoebe were already used to following her orders, Grover was too scared of her to contradict any of her words and Clarisse just followed them and did as they did. And Percy... he spent most of his time explaining the relations of gods and demigods to the curious daughter of Hades. He did not care for Zoe's bossy nature, as long as they continued on their path towards the underworld.

So far Bianca had only followed Percy around, still distrustful of the others in their group. The tendency towards violence shown by two of them, combined with Zoe's rather cold treatment of Percy did nothing to make her trust them. So she tried to stay near the boy, since their apparent familial connection through their fathers was at least a start for a positive relationship.

But Bianca also enjoyed her current situation in many ways. After spending nearly all of her life inside the Lotus Casino this was a welcome change. And though she was worried for her brother's safety, Nico's absence was a blessing to her. To be able to act without having to think and worry about her brother was liberating. It made it easier to come to terms with this whole being a daughter of a god thing, which she still could hardly bring herself to believe.

"Oh well, camping out in the wild... how lovely." Percy muttered. His words caused both Ariadne and Bianca to chuckle, while Zoe merely regarded him with a cold look. He began looking around for some wood to make a fire, but as usual even that caused Zoe to scoff at him.

"No fire, foolish boy. It will only attract monsters and we do not have the numbers to deal with such a possible threat." Zoe scolded him, as if she was chiding a child that had done something very foolish.

"Fine. It's alright." He said, as he walked to a tree and sat down, leaning his back against it. "One question though, oh mighty huntress. Why have we not met the Hunt yet. Your sisters must have a burning desire for revenge after I have beaten them all in combat."

"They are waiting for the right time." Zoe hissed back. Luckily for him Phoebe had not heard him, since she had walked ahead, scouting their path, and was not due to return for some more time. But Zoe could not fully hide that she had asked herself the same question. The complete lack of any signs of pursuit worried her. She had no doubt her mistress and her sisters were still around and unharmed, but that they had not acted and captured Percy once they had left the Casino was still odd.

Ariadne plopped down next to Percy and Bianca, who once again had increased her distance to Zoe." I wish we could have stayed at the Casino for a bit longer... I already miss the bed, it was comfy."

"Yeah... comfy..." Percy said somewhat dubious. He knew he wouldn't remember that particular night very fondly. He could have lost a very important part of his anatomy had he not woken up before Zoe. "But that reminds me, why exactly were you with us in that bed? Last thing I remembered was you laughing about my misery while you left the bedroom."

Ariadne tried to look innocent for some moments, before another grin shattered that illusion. "Well... you did not expect me to sleep on the couch when there was a perfectly comfortable bed available." Percy looked at her dubiously. "And Grover was snoring and drooling all over the only other bed, moaning about food every once in a while."

"That sounds like G-man alright." Percy admitted with a laugh.

The Satyr in question pouted slightly as he heard them. "Hey, that's not nice at all." He complained weakly. The whole group, minus Zoe and Clarisse laughed at the mock distraught expression on Grover's face.

"Percy?" Bianca asked him.

"Yeah?"

"The others talked about this camp for demi... people like us. Why have you never gone there?" She was quite curious. From all she had heard it was very likely that she and her brother might end up there. Yet the first person she connected to has distanced himself from that place for unknown reasons. Even Zoe and Clarisse looked curious now.

Percy rubbed the back of his head, before he answered. "Well... I've always been with Apollo and..."

"The God of the Sun?" Bianca interrupted him with her question.

"Yes. Ariadne's dad." He gestured towards the blond girl, before he continued. "Ever since my mom died he has taken care of me. Of course he asked me whether I want to go to Camp Half-blood, but it just never seemed right. Like this tiny voice in the back of my mind telling me to not go." He wouldn't mention that it was the same voice that plagued his mind and dreams to this day.

"You wouldn't have survived one day in my camp, prissy." Clarisse said with a malicious smirk. "Though I wouldn't have minded someone to beat up every once in a while. The other kids are just whiny pansies."

"Pick a number, war girl." Percy shot back with a smirk. She was just like her father.

* * *

Without them knowing it, the small group of demigods was under the watchful eyes of a goddess, ever since they had left the Casino. Artemis had sent her Hunters back to Camp Half-blood only shortly after Triton had left. Ever since she had kept a close eye on her remaining wayward girls.

Though she hated looking weak in the eyes of other gods, she was very well aware what danger her Hunters were in. Triton's threat was anything but empty. Poseidon had often shown his temper and his vengefulness. Should she, inadvertently or not, be responsible for Percy Jackson's death, the god of the Sea would take revenge. And Zeus would only act if Poseidon tried to harm her. But her Hunters had no such protection. It was a risk she would not take.

So she watched for now, trusting in Zoe and Phoebe to complete their current task without the help of their sisters. She would not trust Percy Jackson to keep his word and surrender peacefully at the end of his quest. She had trusted a son of Poseidon once and nearly paid a great price for that. Never again. Though Apollo assured her that Percy was not like Orion, she still could not let go of her distrust and resentment.

"Heya, little sis."

Artemis whirled around with an almost furious expression. She had been so deep in thought that Apollo had actually managed to sneak up on her, something that he had not be able to do since they were little children. "Apollo, you shouldn't be here. Father has forbidden you to go to your champion."

"He has forbidden me to have contact with him, but I'm not talking to him, am I?" He replied with a grin.

"Then why are you here?"

"What? Can't I visit my darling little sister?" He pouted at her with a mock hurt look.

Artemis sighed in exasperation. "I am the older sibling, Apollo!"

As usual Apollo ignored her words and instead changed the topic. "You look worried, Artemis. Any reason for that?" He looked down towards the small makeshift camp of Percy's group, a slight grin on his face when he saw his daughter and his champion. Ariadne was already asleep, leaning against the same tree as Percy. The boy was still wide awake, watching over the girls around him. But Apollo's expression soon morphed into a frown. "Things are getting worse by the hour, you know."

"Father?"

"Yeah. He is getting angrier every day, arguing with everyone. Not even Athena can do anything without inciting his anger and you know how he always favors his perfect little daughter."

"Any leads on the whereabouts of his Master Bolt yet?" Artemis asked worriedly. She knew that things were bad when even Athena could no longer get away with everything.

Apollo merely shook his head. "The demigods they have sent on that quest have not yet succeeded. But they have a prophecy that will lead them to it. We just don't know yet whether they will managed to do it in time or not."

"I don't even want to imagine what he will do if the Bolt cannot be retrieved."

"Yeah...there are a lot of things our father is angry about at the moment. The theft of his Bolt was just the beginning. Percy's existence made things only worse... and now this..." He pointed towards the sleeping form of Bianca. "The knowledge that Hades has children as well... let's just say it was fortunate that he does not have his Bolt, else he would have tried to blast the girl to pieces."

"She has done nothing, hating her is just wrong."

"Aren't you the hypocrite here?" Apollo asked with a raised eyebrow. Percy was just as innocent in that regard, but yet she disliked him for being a boy and the actions of his long dead half-brothers. But Artemis showed no reaction to him. "But the girl is much more dangerous to Olympus than we might think. As things are, she is currently the oldest child of the big three alive. She may be the child of the prophecy."

"Unless we act to protect her. You did save your champion from that fate." She flinched slightly when she heard her own exclamation. Her words sounded more accusingly than she had intended.

"Percy cannot choose to act against Olympus since he has sworn to serve me loyally for the rest of his mortal life. But I can't do the same for her. Father would not allow it."

"Than I will make her one of my Hunters. She can't fulfill the prophecy if she never reaches the age of sixteen." Artemis said determinedly.

"It's not that easy. Hades has plans with his children, that much is sure. But if we are lucky we might be able to influence her and help her make the right decisions in the future."

"We are forbidden to interfere with the quests of demigods, Apollo." Artemis chided him, before she realized something. "But your champion can help her in your stead."

"Finally realizing the awesomeness of my plan. I've turned Percy into the perfect hero, one that will save Olympus one day."

"He will be a bastard just like all the others..." She replied, before she and Apollo saw something, or more like someone, approach the small camp. "Is that?"

"I hope not. This must be our father's doing..." Apollo replied, his hands itching for his bow. But he knew that he could not help those demigods. His father would finally blow up, should he break the laws, especially to save a group that contained two children of his brothers.

* * *

Percy watched quietly as his companions fell asleep around him. One after another. He had faked sleep for some minutes, so the others around him would go to sleep as well. But it wasn't easy sleeping here, in the middle of the wilderness. It was not very comfortable, but sleep soon claimed the others. All except Zoe and Phoebe, who both had disappeared some time ago. But Percy knew that they wouldn't be far. He was sure that they must be with Lady Artemis, reporting their progress or something like that. He knew that they would be back sooner or later. But with bother Hunters gone, Percy saw it as his duty to keep watch over his group. It wouldn't do for them to be ambushed in their sleep. He wasn't used to living in the wilderness like the Hunters, but he knew about survival, a necessary skill when one is working for the sun-god.

And his attentiveness soon pain off, as he saw something move in the shadows. It looked like a person. A really fat person, approaching them. He stood up, careful to not wake his companions. They needed their rest, at least in his opinion.

The newcomer stopped a good distance away from the group, watching Percy as he got closer. When he could finally see the person, Percy couldn't help but feel unnerved. The person looked like and ugly and extremely obese woman with slitted pupils and a forked tongue, which slid out every once in a while. It was clear that she was anything but human and judging by the power she radiated, Percy could easily tell that she was very powerful.

"Aye, look what we have here, sonny." Percy was confused. It was obvious that she was not talking to him. Then he saw a grotesque creature next to her that resembled a chihuahua through the mist. "One bold demigod daring to face us."

"Who are you?" Percy asked with a low growl. He had a feeling that this wouldn't end right. No, scratch that, he knew that this would end up horribly. He would have to get this fat woman and her dog away from the others.

"I am your death, that is all you need to know, son of Poseidon."

"Has Hades sent you?"

The woman laughed at his words mockingly. "Hades does not command me! None of the gods do. Though sometimes they lead me to special prey."

Percy should have known that it was not Hades who had sent this monster here. Not with Bianca so close by. But who else? His next best suspect would be either Zeus or Athena. Both hated him because of who his father is. But somehow he couldn't picture Athena as someone who relied on monsters to do her bidding.

"You want my death, so let's fight." Percy said, as he summoned his sword from Apollo's amulet. "But not here."

The monster looked almost curiously at Percy's sword for a moment, before she followed Percy further away from the group of sleeping demigods. Neither Percy nor the monster knew that they were watched, by more groups than one.

"It has been a long time since I have seen that sword in the hands of a demigod." The monster said, as they stopped in a small clearing, sufficiently away from the others to not endanger them.

"This sword will be the last thing you will see before I sent you to Tartarus." Percy growled, his weapon raised for an attack.

"How ironic that this sword has returned to the hands of a son of Poseidon. One of the last relics of the late Titan Helios. No one has seen the Sunreaver since Theseus killed the Minotaur with it." Percy perked up when he heard that. So far he had merely assumed that it was a normal sword. A gift from Apollo, but normal none the less. Was this really a relic of a faded Titan? A former possession of one of his half-brothers to boot? He would have to ask Apollo about this later. "I will enjoy taking it from your cold corpse." The monster laughed. "Get him, sonny, kill him for mommy."

The ugly little dog jumped forward, growling menacingly at Percy, teeth barred, eyes filled with a murderous glint. Percy didn't know whether to laugh about this hilarious sight or whether he should feel threatened by the dangerous vibe he felt from that little dog. He clearly opted for the latter, when the Mist cleared and the little animal was no longer little. Instead there was a large monster, a lion's head on a goat's body, a menacing snake as its tail hissing at him.

"This is not cool." Percy said, as he took a few steps back. Before him stood the Chimera in all its glory and it was obvious that the beast wanted him as a midnight snack. It roared loudly, before it unleashed its fiery breath on Percy.

Behind a nearby tree two Hunters readied their bows, waiting for the right moment to enter the fight. Zoe and Phoebe had watched their camp all night, mostly to make sure that Percy would not try to run away from them. And when he suddenly stood up and left the others they had believed he would try to make a run for it. But instead he approached very dangerous foe and lured it away from their sleeping group. Zoe couldn't help herself but acknowledge him for this selfless action. She would have never expected any male to act like this, but Percy defied her expectations of the male gender on a regular basis.

"Zoe, lets kill that monster. That idiot won't stand a chance and only get himself killed this way." Phoebe muttered, as she raised her bow.

Zoe looked at the other girl with an arched eyebrow. "Since when do you care for the life of a man, Phoebe?"

"Lady Artemis wants him alive. I don't want her to get into trouble with Lord Zeus just because we did not act in time." Phoebe hissed back in a small fit of anger. She still hated Percy, she just did not want to be responsible for his death.

The boy in question was meanwhile busy evading the Chimera's fiery breath and its insanely dangerous snake tail. He tried to remember all he had learned about the big and famous monsters. A Chimera was not a run of the mill monster like a Hellhound. He vaguely remembered the times when Apollo told him the stories of the ancient heroes. The stories about Theseus, Perseus, Achilles and Bellerophon. The last name finally brought back the memory he had looked for. But it was of little help to him. Bellerophon had the help of Pegasus when he killed the Chimera, Percy was all alone by himself.

The snake had come dangerously close once more, nearby sinking its poisonous teeth into his shoulder. But a swift strike with his sword chased it away once more. But even that strike did little damage to the scaled tail.

"There must be a way to get this thing down other than making it kill itself like Bellerophon did." Percy yelled in frustration. He was nearly constantly on the defense, only managing a few counterattacks that were either stopped by fire or the snake head.

He rolled to the side as the Chimera tried to pounce him, jumping up again as quick as he could. He tried to attack the sides of the Chimera's goat body, hoping for some weak point there, but he had clearly underestimated the monster's speed.

"Fire, why does it always have to be fire." Percy said, as he saw the stream of fire leave the beasts mouth. He had no time to evade, not this time. His body still hurt from his last attempt to evade an attack and his muscles protested against the strain of another roll on a ground littered with sharp rocks. So he did the next best thing that came to his mind. He swung his sword at the fire in a futile attempt to keep it away from his body. But to his astonishment the fire did not reach him. It danced around the blade, before it was gradually absorbed by the golden weapon.

"A Titan's weapon indeed." Percy muttered in awe. Even that fat woman looked astonished at his blade. She had called it a relic of the Sun Titan Helios. Percy could only marvel what a magnificent gift Apollo had given him. He would have to thank his patron the next time they met.

But as Percy looked at his blade in undisguised astonishment the Chimera continued. The snake tail came closer and closer to Percy, ready to deliver a possibly fatal blow. But to Percy's luck he was not as alone in this fight as he had believed at first. Two silver arrows hit the snake head, one even impaling the small head through its eye, causing the Chimera to roar in agony.

The two Hunters appeared not far away from Percy and the monster. Phoebe and Zoe kept their distance from their enemy, firing one arrow after another. They distracted the Chimera long enough for Percy to regain his composure. He used the new opening to attack the Chimera's now unprotected side, ramming his sword into the monster's chest. The fire that the sword had absorbed before suddenly erupted from the blade, incinerating the monster from the inside.

"NO. YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING MY SON!" The fat woman screamed in fury as the Chimera staggered, before it collapsed and turned to golden dust. Numerous silver arrows fell to the ground.

"This is enough, Echidna." Another woman said with an authoritative voice. As Percy turned around he couldn't help but curse his bad luck. There between him and Echidna stood the goddess Artemis, glowering at the fat woman.

"The gods are not allowed to interfere!" Echidna hissed, her snake-like tongue showing more and more with each moment.

"I am allowed to hunt monsters as I see fit. Leave now or you will become my next prey."

Percy marveled at the sight. He had seen Lady Artemis many times before. He had seen her angry before. Most of those times he was the one she was angry at, though he always managed to deflect that anger at Apollo. But this was nothing like those times he had seen her before. For one she was in an adult form at the moment. He only knew her in the form a thirteen year old girl, which she always assumed among her Hunters. But now she looked like a young woman in her early twenties and despite her beauty she had this aura of danger around her... the respect her voice commanded...

Echidna felt the same aura and watched the goddess wearily. She was furious with Percy and the two Hunters that had killed her son. But she had no intention to test her strength against the goddess of the hunt.

"I will return. And then I will kill you, boy. You and your Hunter friends. You will pay for killing my son." Echidna said with hatred, before she disappeared. It was not just a threat, Percy knew that very well. It was a promise. And one day he would have to face this very dangerous foe. Just his luck, of all the people and monsters he had to meet only those who had a habit of holding grudges.

But even with Echidna gone, Percy was far from save. Now he was alone with Lady Artemis and two of her most loyal Hunters. His quest was over now... and his life forfeit.

"Perseus Jackson." Artemis said, much calmer now, to the silent boy. Percy did the only thing he could at the moment and bowed respectfully before the goddess. "You have caused quite a ruckus on Olympus."

"It was never my intention to..."

"Silence, insolent boy." Artemis chided him harshly. "I am not here to listen to your excuses."

"You are here to capture me on Lord Zeus orders."

"Don't assume to know my intentions, Jackson." She looked down at the boy with an evaluating expression. He was a male and a son of Poseidon to boot. Two reasons for her to dislike him. But he gave her more reasons to respect him. Just moments before he had willingly risked his life to protect his friends. A group that now also included Ariadne. Apollo was right, Percy would protect Ariadne with his life. It gave Artemis a lot to think about. Percy Jackson did not make any sense to her. He was not what he was supposed to be. "You will continue your Quest for Hades. I know of your deal with Zoe and it is something that I can approve of. But try to betray us and you will not make it back to Olympus in one piece. If you run we will hunt you down, even if it takes all of your mortal life to do it."

"I understand. Thank you, Lady Artemis." Percy bowed again. He had no idea what to think about this situation. He had not expected Lady Artemis to let him go. But he was grateful none the less. He was sure that this must be Apollo's doing.

"And keep Ariadne safe or else I won't be the only Olympian to try and kill you. But I will most definitely do it in the most painful way imaginable." She nodded once towards Zoe and Phoebe, giving them the wordless command to keep an eye on Percy. Then she disappeared in a silver flash. A bit away from them Percy could also see a golden flash.

"Just what are you planning, Apollo." Percy muttered, before he joined Zoe and Phoebe on their way back to their makeshift camp. For the moment he was tired and sore. He would need some rest, tomorrow they would reach Los Angeles and the end of his current quest. His fate after that... only the gods knew about that.

* * *

**A/N: I do know that the Chimera is supposed to be a very powerful monster and one that Percy could not beat in canon when he met it. But I chose this little bugger for him to fight since I also wanted to show that this Percy is stronger than his canon counterpart. There are important differences in his fight this time, compared to the original fight on the Arch. There are no mortals around like on the Arch, so Percy can fight it more openly. Percy is considerably stronger than in canon at the same age, since he was trained by more than one god since early childhood. And not to forget, Percy was not alone in this fight. Without the help of Zoe and Phoebe things might have gone different. Bellerophon beat chimera in the myth by riding on Pegasus, flying out of the monsters reach before he used a lump of lead on his spear which killed the monster when Chimera's flame breath melted it in its mouth, both poisoning and suffocating the monster at the same time.**

**In past chapters someone had asked me about the weapons Percy has received from Apollo. He obviously does not have Riptide yet since Chiron had no chance to give it to him. But with a god as his patron I wanted to give Percy something different. Though the sword is entirely made up, it is based on the sword the mythological Ariadne gave Theseus before he entered the Labyrinth to kill the Minotaur. Ariadne herself was not a mere mortal, in fact she was the granddaughter of the Sun Titan Helios, which is the reason I got the idea to use this sword as a supposed relic of Helios, given to his children and grandchildren until it ended up in Theseus hands. The name, well I used the first name that came to my mind. But please don't expect me to translate that name into ancient greek, sadly I only learned Latin in school.**


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone had seen it happen. The fight between Percy and the Chimera. Thanks to Hephaestus' hidden automaton everyone could watch. The reactions of the gods at this display of prowess were mixed, most almost immediately dismissing it as the actions of another aspiring hero, who would soon find his tragic end. But some saw it as more. A sign of change. The Chimera had been beaten before, but not by a demigod this young. And this way young Perseus Jackson had drawn the attention of even more gods than he had ever wanted to.

Several members of the Olympian council had gathered after what they had witnessed, out of sheer curiosity to see how Zeus would react to this. It was no secret that the King of Olympus harbored a deep resentment for the demigod children of his brothers. Not because of the prophecy, as he liked to claim in front of others, but because of the bitterness he still felt after the sad fate that had befallen his daughter.

"YOU. YOU SENT THAT MONSTER AFTER MY SON!" Poseidon roared, as he appeared in the council room. The anger he felt reflected on the oceans around the world. With his rage the oceans became wild and dangerous. But the god of the sea paid little mind to that.

Zeus looked at his brother, regarding him with a cold stare. "Not after him, not yet. Echidna was to kill Hades ill begotten spawn. I cannot allow that... thing to live. Not after what Hades has done to my own daughter."

"Blood for blood? What about your claimed superiority to our brother, Zeus? You are no better than him by seeking revenge. And you dare to threaten my own son's life with this." Poseidon spat.

"Whether or not it is morally right to kill that child, its importance pales in comparison to what we have seen from your son." Athena said, as she walked over to her throne and sat down.

"Leave my son out of your schemes, Athena. This has nothing to do with you! Begone!"

"Your son is dangerous. You can thank Apollo for vouching for this boy's loyalty or else he would already be dead." Zeus stated. "I'm still not fully convinced that he is not involved in the theft of my..."

"Are you really that daft, brother? Your own children told you that he was as far away from Olympus as physically possible when the thief has been here. But you, you are just looking for excuses to harm my son."

"The day I see any falsity or disloyalty in him, your son will die. He shouldn't exist in the first place. And now this. Too strong, too early."

"Father, he could be an asset to Olympus. If he is properly restrained and conditioned." Athena stated, her gray eyes staring intently at Poseidon as she said this. "If we keep him away from any false influences..."

"You will never go anywhere near my son. If you even dare to touch him I will give you a fight that you will never forget. Athena."

"Going this far for a mere petulant demigod? You have clearly become insane in recent years." The goddess of wisdom replied snidely. "Even you have to admit that he will become too powerful if we allow him to grow up."

"Enough." Zeus demanded angrily.

"This is not over yet, brother. You will not harm my son!" Poseidon regarded Athena and Zeus coldly. Then he disappeared in a giant swirl of water.

* * *

Percy stirred the next morning, woken up after someone had kicked his leg. "Go to hell... I wanna sleep."

"Funny, that is just the place where we need to go. Because of you, so get your lazy ass of the ground!" Clarisse told the sleepy boy. She was all too eager to get going. Her quest mates were also on the way to the Underworld and she wanted to catch them before the had the chance to return to camp without her.

"Go away..."

"Is he always like that? Can't even go through one night in the wilds?" Ariadne asked Grover amusedly.

"Uh... I don't know... we never went camping during our time at school." Grover said cautiously, as he watched Percy stir. "Come on, Percy, rise and shine."

"Don't say that." Percy growled lightly. "That's Apollo's favorite line right before he throws me into the next body of water he can find."

Several people around him chuckled when they heard his words. They could easily imagine the sun-god acting like this. Meanwhile Percy pulled himself up, albeit groggily. His body was still sore from the late night dance with the Chimera and his mood wasn't all that good after waking up like this.

"Jackson, get up. We don't have time to waste." Zoe said, as she appeared next to him and pulled him to his feet. She expected him to complain and moan because of his fight. She expected him to gloat with his victory over the feared monster. But he did none of that. He stretched a bit, but kept silent about what had happened while the others had slept.

"Fine, fine. No need to get bossy." Percy said, as he stretched his sore muscles. He brushed some dirt and leaves off his clothes, watching astounded as it all disappeared without leaving any traces. In fact he was surprised that his clothes were still in a very good condition, especially considering his fight with the Chimera. "Huh, guess the card was right. These clothes are more durable than my old ones." He still did not like the style that had been forced upon him by Hermes and Aphrodite, but at least his clothes would not rip.

The shirts Apollo had given him usually got destroyed during a fight, much to Percy's annoyance. When he talked to Apollo about it he found out that it was all planned by the sun-god. Apollo justified it with his firm believe that all girls would swoon after being rescued by a well trained hero who runs around without a shirt... somehow Percy found that hard to believe. But the girls he knew the most were the Hunters of Artemis. Though he went to a mortal school he never really paid any attention to the mortal girls around him... except for those who annoyed him, like Nancy Bobofit. And he was sure that the Hunters would not appreciate it to see him run around half-naked.

"I guess I should thank Lady Aphrodite next time I see her." He muttered. A moment latter he shuddered when he heard a sickly sweet voice breath an almost inaudible _'You're welcome'_ into his ear. The thought that the love goddess of all Olympians was watching his struggles was not his idea of fun. Her idea of fun mostly ended with trouble for all people involved. "Why me?" He whined, as he looked annoyed towards the sun.

"You said something, Percy?" Grover looked at his friend with a questioning expression, before he started munching on something he had salvaged from Percy's bag.

Percy looked around, searching for any sign of gods or goddesses around. He was relieved that there was none. For the moment he was sure that he wasn't used as some sick form of amusement for the gods. Oh how little he knew about Olympus favorite show on Hephaestus TV.

"I'm alright, Grover. Just a little worried about meeting my uncle. Going to the Underworld doesn't really help with that."

"Is my dad... Hades, really that bad?" Bianca asked with a worried look. If there was one person more nervous about meeting the lord of the Underworld than Percy, it was Bianca. It was still hard for her to accept the fact that her father is a god... a particular infamous god to boot.

"Don't know. But not too long ago he sent a whole army of monsters after me, before he tasked me with finding you and your brother." Bianca looked a bit down when he mentioned Nico. So far they did not even know if he really was the young demigod that Clarisse's partners had taken with them. Percy knew that with his luck it could be a completely different child, after all the Casino was seemingly full of demigods.

"Come on, you wannabe hero. Time to get moving." Phoebe said, as she bumped into him on purpose, before she walked ahead again, to scout their path most likely. "The next big monster is mine by the way." All others except Zoe looked confused at Percy, not knowing what the Hunter meant, but none of those who knew the truth were willing to elaborate.

* * *

A few hours later the rag-tag group of demigods had reached the outskirts of Los Angeles. For Bianca the sight of the big city was an awe-inspiring experience. She only knew about her life inside the confines of the Casino and only knew those few parts of Las Vegas she could see from the windows of the building. And even after they had left the Casino they hurried out of that city before she could see much more of it. But now, being able to walk through the streets of LA, seeing everything with her own eyes was quite the experience.

The two Hunters and Ariadne though looked slightly uncomfortable inside the city. After all they were only used to living in the wilds and hunting monsters. And even in those odd occurrences when they visited a city it was mostly during times when only few people were on the streets. Artemis made sure that her girls would not have to face any males on their travels.

"So, where to? They must have told you about how you can get to the Underworld." Ariadne asked, after they had aimlessly walked through LA for nearly two hours. Though she had started to enjoy the sightseeing nearly as much as Bianca, she still wanted to get the entire situation over with.

Percy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, as he looked at her. "Not exactly."

"What? You mean we have to search for the entrance?" Phoebe grumbled. "I'll show you the quickest way to the Underworld!" She was about to grab Percy, but before she could reach him she stumbled and fell. The thing she had stumbled over was the foot of the smirking daughter of Ares.

"Oh my, did you fall down. You Hunters really need to train better, can't even walk straight without landing on your nose." Clarisse said, as she looked down on Phoebe.

"You damn..."

"Phoebe, not now." Zoe said sternly.

"But she..."

"Not. Now." Zoe repeated, before she turned to Percy. "Hades' servants must have told you something. A quest does not simply end this way."

Percy never got the chance to answer the question, as three old women appeared. Grover paled and took several steps back as he recognized his most hated teacher, Mrs Dodds, among them. While the majority of the group did not know who those three women were, Percy, Grover and the two older Hunters could easily see them for what they really were. The Furies.

"Perseus Jackson. So you have come as ordered. For once you do as you are told." Alecto said, as she approached Percy. But she did not stop and walked past him, finally stopping in front of Bianca.

"Ah, Alecto... or is it Mrs Dodds right now?" Percy asked, as he turned towards the Fury. Alecto ignored him, instead she scrutinized Bianca.

"So you have found the girl, but where is the boy?" Alecto asked without taking her eyes of Bianca. Said girl looked more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment.

"Well... there has been some minor... inconvenience..." Percy said carefully.

"So you have lost the boy, but instead you come with one of the children and an entourage. Lord Hades will not like this." Alecto said, before she whirled around and walked away. "Come, we will bring you to the entrance."

"What? Only the entrance? And here I thought you would bring us all the way..." Percy said in mock disappointment. This meeting with the Furies was far more relaxed than the last time. Not being surrounded by countless Hellhounds and, for once, outnumbering Hades' servants, did wonders for his confidence.

"Make no mistake, you will pay for any insolence as soon as your quest is over. Lord Hades has only sworn to not kill you because of your heritage. Insolence will still be punished." She looked at him coldly, daring him to make a wrong step, to say the wrong thing, so she could punish him for it. But Percy, for once, wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Percy?" Bianca asked the boy almost fearfully. "Should we...?"

"Let's just follow her for now. We have to meet your father."

Begrudgingly the others complied and followed Percy, as he walked ahead with Mrs Dodds. The other two Furies followed behind the group, keeping a close eye on all of them, just in case they would try something. Though they were only interested in Percy and Bianca at the moment, they still would not allow the others to leave. At least not until their master's daughter was safely in his domain.

A long walk through the streets later they had reached their final destination, the DOA Recording Studios. Percy looked a bit skeptical at the building, since it was clearly not how he expected the entrance to the underworld to look like.

"This is as far as we will take you. Charon will bring you to Lord Hades' palace." Alecto said, as she stopped in front of the door.

"But why not bring us all the way to your..." Before Percy could finish his sentence the Fury was already gone, just like her sisters. "Thanks for nothing..." He muttered in annoyance. "Damn gods and monsters disappearing without answering a single question..."

"So, shall we go in?" Ariadne asked, albeit the look on her face showed her hesitance. It was obvious that she was not thrilled to enter the Underworld itself any sooner than necessary. Hell even Zoe and Phoebe looked unsure, though they were better at hiding it.

"You can wait here if you want. Only Bianca and I have to enter. The rest of you can wait or explore the city until we return." Percy offered. The Hunters looked downright offended by his words. To them it was an insinuation that they were cowards and they wouldn't let him get away with that.

"Don't even think that I will let you out of my sight for one short moment. You won't escape us." Zoe told him threateningly. "We said we would hunt you to the end of the earth if necessary and if it is the Underworld where you try to hide, then we will hunt you there."

"I'm not exactly running away from you right now..." Percy deadpanned.

Ariadne allowed herself to smile benignly, but Phoebe openly took offense. "Damn boy, you wouldn't even be alive if we had not acted last night, don't make me finish what that monster started."

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Geez. You act as if I am Hercules. I did not mean to insult you, I just wanted to help."

"Do not say his name." Phoebe growled, as she watched Zoe. The face of Artemis's lieutenant was an emotionless mask now. It was absolutely impossible to see how she felt about Percy mentioning the name of Zeus most famous demigod son.

"I... better get going..." Percy said, before he pushed the door of the Studio open and quickly disappeared inside. Bianca, Clarisse and Grover followed him immediately, while Ariadne stayed with the two Hunters.

"Zoe... are you alright?" Ariadne asked.

"Just don't mention HIS name." Phoebe said, while Zoe was still silent. "Come, Zoe, we can't lat that boy escape. We are doing this for Lady Artemis, remember." She said, as she gently pushed Zoe towards the door.

Percy looked around the room, seeing the cold metallic walls and floor and the black leather furniture. His eyes finally rested on a raised podium in the center of the room, where a man in black robes stood. He had to look twice to see everything through the mist, until he realized that the person's head was only a skull.

"Hello" Percy said, as he approached the man. He was sure that this man must be Charon, Ferryman of the Underworld.

"No living are allowed here, demigod." Charon said with an emotionless voice. "Leave now."

"Dude, believe me, I wouldn't be here if I had a choice."

"Then go and come back when you are dead."

"Look, I am here because Lord Hades has ordered me to come, so can you please bring us to him?"

"No."

"No? Come on. I. AM. WORKING. FOR. YOUR. BOSS." Percy said.

Charon looked at him, seemingly evaluating him. "Is he paying you more than me?" The Ferryman asked.

"Is that it? Is this about money?" Percy searched something in his backpack, before he pulled out a small bag. The clinging sounds of coins could be heard as Percy took it and showed it to Charon. "See this? If you let us pass and allow us to see Lord Hades then I will give you some of this." He took out a hand full of golden Drachma from the bag and stacked them in front of Charon. "10 Drachma and you will let us pass."

"30 Drachma." Charon replied monotonously.

"What? No way. I'm not paying you that much. 15 and not a single coin more."

"Such a big group costs extra. My boat is not a cruise ship. If you don't like it you can wait in line like all the other souls. In a few centuries you get your turn."

"Percy just pay him so we can get this over with." Ariadne said with an annoyed look. All of them were surprised to see Charon haggle with Percy, but they really did not want to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary.

"But that is more than half of my allowance for the month. Apollo doesn't give me that much for doing his bidding and saving Hunters." Percy whined. And again his choice of word provoked a violent reaction from Phoebe.

"Just wait you damn boy. We never needed your help!" She yelled at him. "Now you will get the short cut to the Underworld."

"Killing him would not be faster. He would have to wait in the line. Estimated waiting time 134 years 8 months 17 days 5 hours and 44 minutes." Charon stated dryly.

"Percy, pay the man." Ariadne repeated her earlier demand. Percy complied this time, albeit he made it clear that he was not happy about this.

Charon showed the first real emotion now. He watched gleefully as Percy stacked the Drachma in front of him. "Very well. Follow me." He said after he had carefully counted Percy's money. He lead the group towards an elevator in the back. "The elevator will take you to the boat. The boat will take you across the Styx."

"Thanks..." Percy grumbled, before he entered the elevator.

Not much later they were inside the boat, crossing the river that separated the land of the living from the land of the dead. The entire group was deadly silent, as they traveled across this sacred river. All of them watched the things floating in the water. The river itself was polluted, many different things floating through the water.

_'This all that remains of the dreams once you are dead. All people who pass over the river leave their dreams, their hopes and things they loved the most behind. They give up on them.' _An all to familiar voice spoke in Percy's mind. The voice from his dreams sounded somber... no, sad. And truly, this place was very depressing. _'Look closely and you will see that which has been lost.'_

Percy saw many things, from stuffed animals to ripped diplomas. He could eve see a lot of photos floating in the water, snapshots of better times, left behind by the dead. Then his eyes spotted one particular photo, floating near the boat. A photo that he remembered. A memory of a person he had lost years ago. A photo of him and his mother at the beach in Montauk. One of his greatest regrets was that he had not even a single picture of his mother, nothing but his own memories of her. Memories that became blurred as he grew older. But the picture was close to the boat, so he leaned out to grab it with his hand.

_'Try to reclaim what is lost, but you will find that it is impossible. To grow you will have to let go of the past.' _The voice spoke again. But Percy was determined to get the photo. _'Is a faded memory worth the risk?' _To Percy the answer was clearly yes. He would either get it or loose his mother forever. _'Careful, my chosen. You risk your fate and that of all others for this memory.'_

Percy did not listen. He leaned further out of the boat. A small wave rocked the boat, causing him to loose his balance. He would have fallen into the river, had it not been for Zoe grabbing his collar and pulling him back.

"Be careful, you idiot. Falling into the river could kill you." She said with a frown. Her dark eyes showed slight worry, even though Zoe's words and normal behavior hid it expertly most of the time. It was the first time that Percy had seen it in Zoe's eyes while she was looking at him. But he reasoned that it was because Lady Artemis wants him alive.

_'The daughter of Atlas is right. She saved your life today. You are not ready to try for Achilles' curse... yet. Be careful.' _The voice faded away again, leaving Percy alone. But he did not really notice it. He stared after the photo again. In a way he felt like he had just lost his mother again... only this time he would loose everything, even his memories of her. He spent the rest of the way towards Hades' palace in silence, something that worried those who knew him.

* * *

By the time they had reached the palace, Percy had managed to get over his bout of sadness. He smiled again, though it was obviously fake. But he had other things to worry about now. Meeting his uncle after he had only partially completed his Quest for the lord of the Underworld.

With a self-assured gait he walked through the halls of Hades' dark palace, until he reached something that looked like a giant throne room. On the other side of the room sat Hades on a black throne, looking bored. Percy allowed himself a close look at his uncle as he walked towards him. The God of the Underworld looked extremely pale, with pitch black eyes that shone with a dark madness. One of his hands smoothed out a part of his black, silken robes, while the other stroked his black beard in a thoughtful looking gesture.

Percy stopped a short distance away from the throne, before he bowed deeply. If there was one thing Apollo had taught him about the gods, than it was the fact that the Big Three were extremely prideful and demanded respect, no matter if they had earned it or not. And he really did not want to get back on his uncle's bad side again. It was an extremely unhealthy place to be.

"Honored uncle, I present you your daughter, Bianca." Percy said, as he gestured towards the dark haired girl next to him. Her usually olive colored skin had paled drastically, making her look almost as ghostly white as her father. He was surprised she wasn't shaking in Hades' presence.

"Only one?" Hades asked calmly.

"Forgive me, uncle. Other demigods had found your son before us and decided to take him to Camp Half-blood."

"Perseus Jackson, did you just tell me that you failed the small task I have set for you?" Hades asked in a low, deadly voice. "That you only bring me one of my children, while you have picked up the rabble along the way." He gestured towards the rest of the group as he said the last part. But none of the others dared to openly protest. Even Phoebe remained silent in front of a god, at least in front of this god. He knew that she had little to no respect for Apollo and openly showed her disdain for him every time he showed up. Apollo found that highly amusing.

"Uncle we really tried..."

"Then how can it be that you stand here, with my daughter, while my son travels with the thieves of my helmet and Zeus' Master Bolt?" Hades did not shout, but the sharp edge to his voice caused all other persons in his presence to flinch. Clarisse even looked like she had been hit by the Minotaur.

"WHAT?" She shouted in shock. "Those bastards are the thieves? That must be why they abandoned me in the Casino." She started grumbling about the things she would do to Luke and Annabeth, the girl that was with him at the moment.

"At least you succeeded in one thing. You brought me back my eldest child." Hades finally said, completely ignoring Clarisse's outburst. No, he looked intently at his daughter now. "Come here, my child." He beckoned Bianca to come closer. She was reluctant to approach Hades and only started walking after a slight nudge from Percy. "You need not fear me, Bianca. I won't hurt my own children unless they give me a reason for it. You have to respect me, not fear me. Never fear me."

Bianca slowly walked towards her father's throne, each step more hesitant than the former. But eventually she stood directly before her father, a look of trepidation on her face, as the god of the Underworld scrutinized her. Hades even stood up and walked around her once, looking her over closely.

"So much like you mother." His gaze softened as he said that. He did not look just as frightening as before. Percy would even go as far as to say that one could see real affection, that Hades actually cared about his daughter. "You are like a younger twin of your mother, my beloved Maria."

"My mother?" Bianca asked confused. "I... I don't even remember her..."

"Yes, yes. I had to erase your memories of your life before Alecto brought you to that dreaded Casino. It had to be done for your own good." Hades said somewhat remorseful. He was still convinced that it was the right decision, but that his children would never remember their mother was something that he regretted. "You will learn about her as you stay here." He placed a hand on her shoulder, before he looked back at the other people present in the room. As soon as his eyes fell on them his gaze turned cold and steely once more.

"Perseus Jackson. Go and stop those thieves before they can escape. Bring me back what was stolen from me and I shall welcome you as part of my family. You brought me back my dear daughter, so your failure with Nico shall be forgiven if you fulfill this task." Hades did not ask him to do this, he downright ordered him. But this was a chance for him to earn the gratitude of his uncle, something that would be quite useful in the future. He just hoped that this would be the last necessary task for Hades. He knew that Zoe and Phoebe would not let him get away for ever and would eventually just drag him to Artemis, no matter if he had finished his work for Hades or not.

"I shall find them, uncle." Percy replied confidently.

"They found trouble that even they can't escape." Hades said somewhat maliciously. "They are fighting Ares on the beach of Los Angeles. I will sent you there, don't screw up." With a wave of his hand the entire group disappeared in the shadows. Only Bianca remained with him.

"Father..."

"Bianca, you will stay here. I may not be allowed to raise you myself, but I have servants who can." Hades said calmly. He had heard about Apollo's actions with Percy Jackson and he intended to use the same loophole that allowed Apollo to raise the boy. "Thanatos!" He called loudly.

A winged man with skin of the color of teakwood appeared in the room, looking almost impassively at Hades and his daughter at first. His eyes rested longer on the girl, a look of annoyance and resentment visible in his golden orbs.

"Bianca, this is Thanatos, the god of death. He shall train you until I deem you strong enough to return to the world of the living." Hades told his daughter. "And you, Thanatos, will treat my child with the respect she deserves, or else you won't like the consequences."

"She will live. She is not on my list... yet." Was the sole reply of the winged god.

"Go with him, Bianca. I will check on your progress soon." He pushed her gently towards Thanatos. Before she could protest or say anything Thanatos had already grabbed her shoulder and flashed them both away. "Training will not be easy, but one day you will thank me for it, my child." Hades muttered, before he returned to his throne. Now he would watch whether Percy Jackson would succeed in his newest task.


	13. Chapter 13

Nico di Angelo was not having a good time. Far from it. The young boy was sure that he must have seriously pissed off some deity, else there would be no explanation for his streak of bad luck. Not long ago he was still inside the Lotus Casino, enjoying his time. The time with his older sister Bianca. But then everything went to hell... literally.

He met a girl at the Casino. A blond girl, around the same age as his sister, called Annabeth. She sure was odd in his opinion. She saw him hide in the shadows after he had somehow angered a member of the Casino security and approached him immediately. He still could hardly believe all the things she had told him. Him being the son of god... it sounded so cool. He really wanted to believe her words. She even called herself a demigod, a daughter of Athena. To the young boy all of this was like a dream that came true. A dream that would soon turn into a nightmare.

And then things went downhill. Annabeth's companion, an older boy called Luke, appeared and told her that they had to leave quickly. Something about the Casino being a trap. The girl protested, saying something about another friend of theirs. Saying that they should not abandon their last companion. But the Casino security appeared and Luke attacked them without hesitation. They fled, and poor little Nico was caught up in the middle. They dragged him along on their way back to their room. Their companion wasn't there, but the security arrived soon after them.

Nico could not get away from them, as the girl insisted on him coming along, citing that all demigod children should go to the camp they hailed from. Nico was convinced that he had somehow ended up in the clutches of a lunatic and her violent attack dog. They all but forced him to come along as they ran away from the Casino.

Hours of traveling and more cool stories and questions later they had arrived in Los Angeles. They said that they had to go to the Underworld, before they could bring him to this camp. And judging by what happened to them in LA, Nico was sure that they all would end up dead far sooner than any of them had planned.

Strangely it felt kind of good to be in the Underworld, at least to young Nico. He felt at ease there, much more than in the busy city of Los Angeles. It was calming and, for the first time since he had been taken, he forgot about how much he already missed his older sister.

The other two demigods did not feel as he did. They were afraid and weary of what would await them in the realm of Hades. Especially Luke looked like he had to force himself to go anywhere near this place. But something seemed to keep him going, no more like something forced him to continue. So they somehow ended up in the Underworld, where Nico and Annabeth enjoyed playing with the Cerberus, while Luke continued onward.

But the son of Hermes apparently attracted stuff that wants to hurt him, so he came back running to them. A large number of Hellhounds came their way, running after Luke, so they had to make a run for it... again. Nico couldn't help himself but think about Bianca. Little did he know that at exact this time Bianca was on a boat, crossing the Styx.

And before Nico knew what was happening to him, Annabeth used something from a bag that, according to her earlier explanation, was a gift of her mother at the beginning of her quest. Long story short they ended up back on the surface, at a beach of all places. Trouble wouldn't leave them alone, not even here. A giant boar attacked them, or more precisely it attacked Luke, who killed it with what looked like a shimmering thunder bolt. Annabeth gasped when she saw it, a look of disbelieve on her face.

But a barking laugh quickly caught the attention of all three demigods. A man in biker clothes stood there, a sword in one, a shield in his other hand. Annabeth mumbled something about Ares, before the man attacked Luke, slamming his shield into the boy's face, forcing him to drop the bolt, before he continued to attack him viciously. The bolt ended up right in front of the unwitting son of Hades, not that Nico would have known about the importance of the thing he was just about to pick up.

* * *

Before Percy knew what was happening to him, he was already engulfed by the shadows around him. It was an odd feeling. Coldness seeped through him as the shadows touched him, but at the same time he could feel that the darkness meant no harm. He knew it wasn't really an apt description, but it was the best way he could describe the sensation.

When the shadows receded again the first thing he recognized was the smell of the sea. A welcome smell that reminded him of home and the days he had spent with his mother in the past. Apollo had always kept him away from the sea, for his own protection, as the Sun God said again and again. Percy knew that Apollo merely wished to avoid Poseidon realizing that his son was under the care of another god.

But now he was back at a beach. On the other side of the country, but to him it was the same as the beach in Montauk. He relished the feeling of the sea breeze as it blew past him, before his attention snapped towards the sound of fighting.

"Percy is that?" Ariadne asked worriedly, as she looked towards the uneven fight. God against demigod.

"Ares!" Percy said with a smirk. He had been looking forward to meeting the God of War again. It was about time for their rematch. And Percy was hellbent on winning this time. He had trained and planned for this fight ever since his last defeat at Ares' hands.

"Are those the demigods Hades has been talking about? Are those the thieves?" Zoe demanded to know. She looked sharply at Clarisse, but the daughter of Ares only watched her dad fight. "Girl, are those your former companions?" Zoe said with a dangerous growl. If those were really the thieves, then she could reclaim Zeus' lost symbol of power. Bringing it back would increase the glory of her mistress and earn all of the Hunters the fame they deserved.

"Yes... that boy fighting my dad is Luke, the son of Hermes. The blond girl is Annabeth, daughter of Athena. I don't know the shrimp."

"He has to be Bianca's brother." Percy said, before he summoned his weapon and charged towards Ares.

"Percy... what the Hades?" Ariadne looked dumbfounded after the boy, as he ran towards the God of War. "He's nuts."

"If he plans to die here I will go down to the Underworld and drag him back here myself." Phoebe said angrily.

"Not yet. Phoebe, Ariadne, capture those demigods. We must not allow them to escape." Zoe ordered sternly. Phoebe and Ariadne complied without hesitation and charged after her. They quickly approached Annabeth and Nico, both demigods looking wearily at the three approaching girls. All three had their bows in hand, arrows notched and aimed at them, waiting for one false movement.

"It's over, you thieves. Time to give up and face your punishment." Phoebe said, as she pointed her arrow directly at Nico's head. The boy looked so scared that no one would have been surprised had he actually fainted.

"NO, wait. We are no thieves!" Annabeth tried to appease the Hunters, but Zoe would have none of it.

"Silence. Do you think us to be fools, daughter of Athena?" Zoe asked, an icy glare directed at the blond girl. Then she turned towards Nico, who held the Master Bolt in his hands. "Boy, give me the Bolt!" She demanded harshly.

Nico took a few steps back, clearly afraid of the threatening girls before him. "Do not move a muscle." Phoebe warned him.

"The Bolt!" Zoe demanded once more.

Nico hesitated, his grip on the weapon tightening. But in the end his fear won and he handed the Bolt over, his hands shaking badly. "Don't k...kill me... please..." He stuttered slightly, as he backed away once more.

But Zoe was distracted by the Master Bolt in her hand. "We have it. We have Zeus' symbol of power. For the glory of Lady Artemis, we have retrieved it!" She said with an awed expression as she looked at the Bolt. Nico used this moment to make a run for it. He turned around and ran as fast as his feet would carry him. "Phoebe, get him." Zoe ordered immediately. "But don't kill him. If he is truly Hades' son we shouldn't risk angering the Lord of Underworld." Phoebe quickly ran after the fleeing boy, leaving Zoe and Ariadne alone with the silent daughter of Athena. "And now, child, we will talk about your felony."

* * *

As Percy reached the fighting god and demigod he came just in time to see Luke getting thrown back by a large blow from Ares' shield. Grover, who had followed Percy, immediately rushed over to Luke to check on him.

Ares meanwhile turned towards Percy with a bloodthirsty grin. "About time for you to show up! I've been itching for a real fight, shrimp." Without wasting a second he charged at Percy, sword raised, shield ready.

Percy side stepped and ducked under the first swing. The sword narrowly missed his head, as Percy whirled around to attack Ares' unguarded back. Imperial gold met celestial bronze as Ares parried the attack with his own sword.

"Do you really think it would be this easy, shrimp?" Ares said with a mocking laugh. "I've taught you better than this." He overpowered Percy easily and caused him to stumble back.

"You never taught me, Ares. You merely beat me up." Percy said with a smirk, before his sword clashed with Ares' once more.

"Pain is the ultimate teacher." As he said that he slammed his shield into Percy, sending the boy flying back into the sea behind him. "Stand up, Perseus. Fight me like you mean it."

In the water Percy felt his strength returning. The pain of being hit by Ares shield was numbed, before it disappeared completely, replaced by a feeling of empowerment. Percy could feel the sea around him, he could feel all that was in the sea. Something was close... someone. As his head disappeared underneath a wave he could see some Nereids together with an unknown merman. They were watching him, the Nereids with starstruck expressions, while the merman looked at him critically. It was an odd sight, but Percy dismissed it and refocused on Ares. The god of war was looking at the sea with an impatient expression, as he paced angrily near the water.

"Get out of the water, shrimp! Face me!" Ares yelled angrily.

Percy smirked as he got an idea. Ares would have his wish, but he would get more than he bargained for. He swam back towards the beach at a speed that would be impossible for any human, but being the son of the sea-god himself certainly had some perks. As he reappeared above the water he created a giant wave that crashed down on the impatient god.

Ares wouldn't drown, Percy knew that this would not defeat him, but he only used it as a diversion. As Ares was busy trying to withstand the force of the sea he was distracted. Enough to allow Percy to attempt a single attack. A swing aimed directly at Ares chest.

But Ares avoided it in the nick of time, so Percy's attack merely graced Ares' chest and arm. But it cut the leather straps that tied Ares shield to his arm, causing the bronze bulwark to fall to the ground with a muted thud.

Ares laughed widely at this. "Now we are fighting, shrimp. Man against man, with sword and fists. Prepare for a world of hurt." He attacked in rapid succession, forcing Percy to back away more and more. He slowly forced Percy back towards the sea. Ares wasn't dumb. He knew that Percy would last longer with contact to the water. It was just what he wanted. He wanted his fun to last.

"Is that really all?" Percy asked, as he swung his sword in a wide arc. But again his strike was blocked by Ares own weapon. But something wasn't right... he had his sword in the wrong hand... Too late Percy realized that Ares right hand was balled to a fist... and the fist was approaching his face at a frightening speed. He felt like he had been hit the Minotaur when Ares punched him square in the face.

Ares laughed uproariously as he saw the pain on Percy's face. He allowed himself a short moment to look around. He saw with grim satisfaction that Luke was still on the ground, Grover kneeling next to him. Clarisse stood next to them, her spear directed at Luke's head.

Percy groaned loudly, as he wiped some blood away from his split lip. "You told me to never switch my sword hand during a fight." He accused with an angry look.

Ares only laughed more. "Once you have become a master, you may disregard my teachings yourself. Now stand ready, we are still far from done." He raised his sword again.

"We actually came her to apprehend the thieves." Percy said with a groan. His jaw hurt badly at the moment.

"If you manage to draw blood from me I shall allow you to continue. Else we will keep on fighting until I'm done having my fun."

Percy clenched his free hand to a fist, before he charged at Ares with his sword arm raised above his head. As he ran he muttered an ancient Greek incantation, causing his palm to glow brightly. It was hidden by his clenched fist until he had reached Ares. He faked a punch to the gods face, before he opened his hand right in front of his enemy's face, blinding the god for some moments. Enough time to slip through Ares' defense so he could strike his now unprotected side. Ares cursed loudly as Percy cut the skin on his abdomen, drawing the golden blood of the gods, the Ichor.

"Enough blood, Ares?" Percy asked mockingly. Ares had a look on disbelieve on his face, before his bloodthirsty grin returned. He took off the shades that usually hid his eyes from sight, revealing the two burning pits that were his eyes. Then he laughed.

"You got lucky today, shrimp. Next time I won't go easy on you. Go and apprehend you thief. But we will repeat this soon." Ares said, as he picked up his discarded shield and made it disappear. "Enyo will never let me live this down..." He muttered as he believed that no one was listening to him anymore.

* * *

Luke was up by now, though he was still on the ground due to Clarisse threatening him with bodily harm should he try anything. "You know I was really surprised when Hades told me that you are the thief, Luke."

"Pah. You know nothing." Luke spat out.

"And now, give me the helmet. Hades wants back what is rightfully his." Percy said, as he held a hand out towards Luke.

"You really think that I have it? You are a fool. A lapdog of the gods. We demigods are nothing but pawns to them. Just look at you, coming here, fighting for a god that wants your death. Fighting against a god without a reason..."

"Is that why you have become a thief, Luke? Some odd form of revenge against the gods?"

"I follow a greater cause, a greater master." Luke said. "But if you want that helmet you have to ask the god who just beat the shit out of you."

Percy turned towards Ares with a confused expression. The god looked grimly at Percy, making no attempt to deny the claim. Instead he made the Helmet of Darkness appear out of nowhere.

"You have it? But why? Why steal from your own father and uncle?"

"I have not stolen the items. Your little friend did it. I beat the crap out of him and took them from him." Ares said angrily.

"Why didn't you return them?"

"Should Hades get his hands on the Master Bolt, my father would declare war upon his brother. All that was needed was a way to get the helmet to Poseidon to involve all of the Big Three in a new war. There is no better war than a fight between the Big Three." His malicious smirk did not help to make Percy understand Ares' reasoning in the slightest.

"But they are your family."

"There are greater powers at work here... someone more convincing..." Ares stated somewhat subdued. It was obvious that he did not wish to divulge any more about this. His pride prevented him from coming clean.

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked, a confused frown on his face. He looked back and forth between Ares and Luke, but neither said a word. It just did not make any sense at all. Someone had managed to convince Ares to do this? But Ares was the most stubborn god Percy had met so far and he was sure that his pride would not allow anyone except his father to command him. So that only left manipulation. But who would be powerful and cunning enough to manipulate Ares?

"Don't think about moving, Luke." Clarisse growled as Luke tried to stand up. The feeling of betrayal could easily been seen on her face and in her body language. It was obvious that she was very much like her father, the same pride of a warrior.

Luke chuckled darkly. "Do you really think that I will be defeated here? By you?" He looked condescendingly at Clarisse.

"Why did you do it?" Percy asked the son of Hermes.

"I had my orders. And I had help. With the help of Lord Kronos I will get justice for what the gods have done to me... to all of us demigods."

"Kronos? Are you kidding me?" Percy asked in disbelieve.

"What would you know? You will never understand me. You are just a pawn in the game of the gods. A lapdog to do their bidding, to amuse them until the tire of you and kill you."

"I really think that you have the wrong ideas about the gods... they may be shitty parents but..."

"Don't you dare to try and defend their actions. I have seen their just treatment of their children. I have seen how Thalia was killed because of the crimes of her father. I have seen how my own father disregarded me before I got to the camp and after I failed my quest. They feed you lies about adventurous quests and the glory of becoming a hero. It is a lie, all of it." Luke spat angrily.

Percy and Clarisse were stunned to silence by Luke's words, while Ares looked bored. Luke used this chance, grabbing Clarisse's spear, using it to throw her towards Percy. "I won't be caught. Lord Kronos won't allow it." He suddenly called out a giant scorpion, before he started running.

"Luke, this is a mistake! Don't throw your live away for some ill placed hatred!" Percy yelled after him, as he and Clarisse stood up from the ground. The daughter of Ares wasted no time attacking the scorpion, ramming her spear right in the beast's head, killing it without remorse.

Luke stopped running and looked back towards Percy and the rest of the group. He saw the Hunters getting closer with a handcuffed Annabeth and an unconscious Nico. One of the Hunters had her bow aimed at him, sending an arrow towards him. The silver missile graced his arm, leaving a bleeding gash, but nothing more. A portal appeared next to him, giving him the chance to escape from all of his pursuers for now. With one last look at Annabeth he turned around and left. This last look at the girl, that had been like a sister to him for so many years, nearly made him regret his choice. But he wouldn't falter now. Lord Kronos had still many more missions for him. So he left for good.

"Did he take the helmet with him?" Percy asked, as he looked towards Ares. The god still sported a bored expression as if none of this was of any concern to him.

"No, I have it here. Take it, shrimp, as your reward for your good performance today." The scary looking Helmet of Darkness appeared in his hand. He tossed it towards Percy, who grabbed it and looked at it in awe. "Next time I will beat you to a bloody pulp, shrimp." Ares disappeared soon after that, not even sparing one glance at his own daughter, much to Clarisse's dismay. She looked almost envious at Percy for all the attention he had gotten from her own father.

"Well, we have the Bolt, the Helmet and Hades' son. Mission accomplished." Percy said with a wide grin. He was still worried about Luke's words, but he wouldn't allow others to see this worry. He would think of a way to solve the problem with Luke later. "And who do we have here?" He said, as he looked at the blond girl that Ariadne guarded.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." The girl replied.

"And one of the thieves. Caught them red-handed with the Master Bolt." Ariadne added happily.

"NO. I'm no thief." Annabeth protested vehemently, which caused earned her a whack and a threatening look from Ariadne.

"The Olympians shall decide that." Percy said, before he looked at the unconscious boy that Phoebe carried over her shoulder. "Now we have to get the boy and the Helmet back to Hades, then we can finish our business with your mistress." Zoe nodded grimly, not really sure whether Percy would really allow them to capture him without resistance. But she knew for sure that the hunt would end today, one way or another.

"Perseus Jackson!" A raspy voice appeared behind Percy. Most would have been unnerved by this, but Percy got used to the owner of that voice by now.

"Alecto, my favorite Fury. We have accomplished Lord Hades' task. We have the Helmet and his son." He immediately offered her the Helmet to take, which she did without a moments hesitation.

"A pity, I would have gladly punished you for all eternity." Alecto said almost sadly. "But you still have many chances to get on Lord Hades bad side. You won't escape me for ever." She turned around to leave, but Percy stopped her.

"Wait! What about his son?"

"Lord Hades was most displeased with his cowardice. Being fooled by those thieves did nothing to improve his opinion of the boy. Take the boy to that camp, Lord Hades does not want him." Alecto said, as she looked evilly at the unconscious boy.

Percy and the other demigods looked shocked by that statement. "But he is his son! How can he..." Luke's earlier statement rung in his ears. This was just another proof for the traitor's claim.

"The boy has disappointed my Lord. Lord Hades will not allow him to know of his heritage until he has proven himself worthy. If you value your life you will not tell the boy about his connection to Lord Hades." And then Alecto was gone.

"This is bullshit." Percy yelled loudly, not that Alecto would have heard it. He had seen how Hades had cared about Bianca. How happy he seemed to have her back. Yet at the same time he would also treat his son like a leper... Was he really ashamed of his son? Or was there another reason for this? Some sick form of preference for his elder child? He felt like he should know the reason, like it was right before him. Yet the answer eluded him.

"Sometimes the gods' decisions just don't make sense." Ariadne said somberly.

"It is time, Jackson." Zoe said after some moments of silence. "You had your fun, now you will face justice as well." Clarisse and Annabeth looked oddly at Percy and the Huntress, since neither really knew why exactly Percy was traveling in the company of Lady Artemis attendants.

"I know, I know. I gave you my word and I intend to keep it." Percy said calmly. On the inside he was still confused and angry because of Hades' actions. Because of all that had happened in the last few hours.

A bright flash next to the group alerted them to the arrival of a god, or in this case the goddess Artemis. The goddess of the Hunt looked coldly at Percy, as she approached the group.

"You have wasted enough of our time, Jackson. You will be brought to Olympus, whether you want to or not." She said as she stopped next to Zoe. Though she had no weapon in her hands she still gave Percy the feeling that she tried to dare him to try and run away. He was sure that Artemis would welcome the chance to hurt him. "I know what you did inside that Casino and I will punish you for your insolence. You..."

As second flash nearly blinded the group. The golden light revealed the god that Percy had prayed to more than once in the last few days. Apollo had come and judging by the wide grin on his face he either came from one of his dates or he had some other reason for his insanely good mood.

"Not so fast, sis. Father has ordered you to bring Percy alive. And since we have so many people that need to go to Olympus he has allowed me to bring them." Apollo said. He walked over to Percy, placing an arm around his champion's shoulders. "You did good, Percy, really good." Percy had no idea how it was physically possible, but Apollo's grin just got even wider than before.

"Apollo..." Artemis glowered at her brother. "Do not interfere."

"Hey, don't be so mean. You all need a ride and I happen to have an awesome car." He snapped his fingers and his Maserati appeared. "Ah... a bit small for all of you... unless some of you volunteer to sit in the trunk..." He only got glares for his last suggestion. "Oh well." He snapped his fingers again and the car changed its shape. Gone was the Maserati and in its stead there was a bus, big enough to easily allow all of them on board. "Okay, all on board." He gestured for the demigods to go, before he turned towards Percy. "Sorry for not coming sooner, but my father kind of forbid me to help you. But since we are buddies I will make it up to you." Percy could hear Artemis groan in annoyance when she heard her brother's words, but he disregarded it. He wanted to know how Apollo intended to make up for nearly abandoning him for more than a week. "Today, my young friend, you will get a rare honor. Today I will allow you to drive my chariot!"

Artemis groan just got louder, as she looked at her brother in utter disbelieve. The god of the sun allowing a twelve-year-old to drive his chariot? She just hoped that Percy wouldn't add any more deserts to this continent, she really hated sand and aridity.

* * *

**A/N: I know that Ares was bit ooc, but I really wanted him to treat Percy different because of their earlier fights. More like some twisted master-apprentice relationship... well not sure whether that worked, but this was the first real interaction seen between those two, so there are many more chances to further develop that in the future. And please don't be disappointed because Percy did not beat Ares to a bloody pulp this time. Ares is still a god, THE god of war in fact and the idea that a twelve-year-old can mop the floor with him is kind of ridiculous.**


	14. Chapter 14

Many things can be said about Apollo. The other gods would often describe him arrogant, self-centered, cocky and irresponsible. Artemis even called him a big fiery ball of gas once. Yet he was also a caring brother and, in a limited amount, father. Percy mostly knew him as a laid-back big brother type of person and trainer. But he also knew about Apollo's colder, more ruthless side. Yet he would never say that Apollo was cruel without a reason... at least until they got on the bus.

Apollo watched with a wide smirk as the faces of the demigods paled drastically. But it wasn't the god who had frightened them, it was the fact that not Apollo sat down behind the wheel, but Percy. The mere idea that a twelve-year-old would drive them across the country in Apollo's chariot was obviously enough to unsettle even the most battle hardened attendants of Artemis.

"Alright Percy. Let's see how good you are at driving." Apollo said with a bright grin, as he sat down in the front row seat near Percy. "No need to rush things."

Percy looked around, not really sure about what he should do. "Uhm... Apollo?"

"Yes, Percy? Just drive, there is no hurry. Just the council waiting for us." Apollo replied nonchalantly.

"Apollo..." Percy said again.

"Yeah?"

"I'm twelve."

"And...?"

"I don't know how to drive." Percy deadpanned.

"Oh. I forgot, sorry." Apollo replied. But the look on his face showed that he was anything but sorry. "Well, let's see. Those pedals down there either increase our speed or slow us down, but you will quickly find out which does the former and which does the latter."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No." Apollo retorted with a mirthful glint in his eyes. Whatever he was planning, Percy was not sure whether he would like it. "Just drive, learning by doing is the best way for you to get used to driving. By the time you are sixteen you will be the most wicked driver in this country."

So Percy did as he was told and pressed one of the pedals down. Nothing happened. "Guess that was the brake..." So he tested the other pedal... and pushed it slightly down. Finally the bus started moving... slowly.

"Excellent." Apollo praised his champion with a gleeful expression. "Now floor it!"

"Apollo, don't you dare!" Artemis threatened from somewhere in the back. It sounded like she was getting closer, but before she could reach her brother and his champion, Percy stepped on the gas pedal and the bus accelerated quickly. The bus disappeared from the beach, where they had been before, and rose to the sky.

"Percy, please turn off the light. Don't want to confuse the mortals with the sun suddenly changing its direction."

"And how?"

"The big red button next to the wheel." Apollo replied, as he watched the passengers. The demigods gripped their seats in obvious fear, as the bus raced across the sky, while Artemis tried to get back to her feet after falling down. The only demigod who looked unaffected by the speed and all was Ariadne, who walked over to her father. Being a child of Apollo came with the distinct perk that the sun gods domain affected them differently than others.

"Are we even going in the right direction, Apollo? I have no idea where we are right now." Percy's concerns were justified. They were flying above the clouds now, around them only the blue sky, below them the gray clouds that hung above most of the world at the moment.

"Nah I can hear my dad's bickering getting louder. We are on the right way." Apollo then turned his attention to his daughter, who stood next to him. "Hey sunshine, sit down and tell your dad what's bothering you." He scooted over and made room for her to sit down next to him.

Ariadne sat down next to him, but remained silent for some time. The tension between those two was palpable, but no one dared to interfere. Even Artemis watched as he favorite niece sat next to her father.

"So... Fred..." Ariadne said, looking intently at her father. "Why didn't you tell me all those years ago?"

"I couldn't. Believe me, sunshine, if I had been able to, I would have raised you together with Percy, but alas... our fate is somewhat cruel to all of us." Apollo said apologetically. "And sorry about the whole Fred thing... I didn't want you to get attached to me... it would have been too cruel to take your father away after you had just lost your mom."

"So you brought me to the Hunters... and to my aunt."

"I entrusted you to my sister, knowing that she would take good care of you. And even for the moments my little sis needed help with that, I always had a way to help you." Apollo said, grinning at his daughter. Especially when he heard the indignant cry of Artemis about who was actually the older sibling.

"Percy..."

"Yep. My awesome champion."

"But why? You have many children, why this hassle because of me?" Ariadne asked in confusion.

"I care for all of your siblings equally. But you, my dear, are special. I really loved your mom. Though my sister may doubt my ability to truly love anyone, I still felt deeply for her. I never allowed myself to love deeply ever since the great disappointment with Daphne, but your mother was different... special. Yet I couldn't prevent her death." Apollo sounded truly sad when he talked about Ariadne's mother. Percy, who could hear their conversation from his place on the driver seat, couldn't remember ever hearing Apollo sound like this.

"Dad... thanks." Ariadne said, before she hugged her father.

Apollo said nothing, but he hugged his daughter back. Then he saw something ahead of them, as he looked over Ariadne's shoulder. "Percy, slow down now. You don't want to anger my father by ramming the sun chariot into Olympus."

"Sure thing, Apollo." Percy replied.

* * *

It was unnaturally calm in the council room on Olympus. The gods waited silently for the arrival of Apollo and Artemis. Especially Zeus awaited his children most impatiently. Their arrival would both bring him back his stolen symbol of power and end most of his current problems. They would decide the fate of Poseidon's illusive son and bring an end to this entire mess. Hopefully.

Zeus was not yet sure about what he should do about this boy. Usually he would have simply killed the boy. Blasted him to bits with his Master Bolt. But it was too late for that. Too many of his children had already met the boy and started to like him. Not all would support him, that much was sure. But maybe there would be some way to make use of this situation.

The oppressive silence in the room ended when a loud crash and yelling could be heard from outside. Zeus could only shake his head in annoyance when he heard Artemis and Apollo bickering. Those two would never stop arguing.

"He did that on purpose." Artemis accused loudly, as the group appeared at the door of the council chamber.

"No he didn't. It was his first time driving and he did quite well if I might add. Even better than you, little sis." Apollo looked teasingly at his sister, as he made sure that he was always between Percy and Artemis, just in case.

"He destroyed a statue!"

"And? It was one of Ares' statues, the blockhead won't even miss it. In fact, now that there is room, I could get that statue of me and..."

"Just shut up. We have arrived." Artemis finally relented with a groan. She knew that she couldn't win an argument against Apollo. He was just too damn stubborn.

Apollo and Artemis quickly grew to their godly size and joined their family, as they sat down on their thrones. Their demigod companions though stayed at the entrance, waiting anxiously for the gods to call for them.

"Have you completed you task?" Zeus asked his daughter sternly. Of course he knew the answer already, but in front of the demigods he felt the need to make it clear that the other gods answered to him and that above all others, the demigods should show him respect.

"Yes, father."

"Good." Zeus muttered with a pleased nod towards his daughter. Of all his children only Artemis and Athena had never failed him. He could rely on them... much more than on their other siblings. "Demigods, step forward and present yourselves."

Percy was the first to enter the chamber, as he tried, and failed, to not look around like the awed young boy he was. The giant room alone was breathtaking, but with the goods sitting on their thrones it was both a marvelous and intimidating sight. His eyes quickly found Apollo, who sat lazily on his throne. Artemis sat next to him, sending an occasional glare at her brother, before she tried to look stoically bored again.

He continued looking around, his gaze wandering over the other gods and goddesses. Hermes looked unusual grim at the moment. Percy could only guess the reason for that, though he was sure that it had to do with Luke's betrayal. Next was Aphrodite, who winked at him, smiling almost roguishly. Percy shuddered as he tried to imagine what she had planned for him. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Her husband, Hephaestus did not even look at him. Instead he was trying to talk to Aphrodite, but she ignored him.

Not far from her sat Ares, who was busy carving something into his throne with a large knife. For a moment he looked up and grinned blood thirsty at Percy, who in turn shuddered. Maybe defeating Ares was not worth it. The god of war would most likely come more often to him, demanding fights to entertain himself.

When he looked at Athena Percy remembered all that Apollo had told him about the goddess of wisdom. Most prominently the fact that the goddess does not like him, because he is a son of Poseidon. And true to that he could see in her expression that she saw him as nothing more than an insect. Though her eyes also showed interested. Yes, he was an insect to her and she most likely wanted to dissect him for the sake of her curiosity.

Then he saw him. For the first time in his life. His father. Poseidon. The god of the sea. At least he was sure that this god was Poseidon. No other god had a trident and would dress in Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt... not to mention that this man had exactly the same eye color as him. Yes, Percy was sure, this man was his father. As they stared at each other it was like time slowed down around them and allowed them to scrutinize each other. But now words were spoken. Soon Percy continued walking and approached Zeus.

"Lord Zeus, honored uncle." Percy said, before he knelt before the king of Olympus. Apollo had stressed how important it was to always show Zeus the utmost respect. The god was extremely prideful and would not hesitate to show his wrath should he feel slighted or disrespected in any way or form.

Zoe was one step behind Percy, the Master Bolt still in her grasp. Unlike Percy she did not kneel, but she bowed. Most likely to utmost respect the Hunter would ever show any male.

"My Master Bolt, girl, hand it over." He demanded, as he held his hand open. He caught it, when Zoe tossed it towards him. Thunder and lightning escaped from the dark clouds outside, the very moment the bolt reached Zeus' hand. "Finally it has returned to where it belongs."

"Lord Zeus, we also have caught one of the thieves." Zoe said, before she motioned for Phoebe to step forward. The other huntress pulled Annabeth towards Zeus, though with unnecessary force since the girl did not resist. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. We caught her red-handed with your Master Bolt, Lord Zeus."

Zeus had already raised his arm, ready to blast the girl to bits when two identical outcries stopped him. Both Percy and Athena had tried to intervene and luckily for the former, Zeus had not unleashed his power... yet.

"Lord Zeus, with all due respect, shouldn't we hear her version of this first?" Percy said wearily, realizing that he almost got fried. He really hoped that the girl and her mother would appreciate his gesture. He hoped that appealing to Zeus sense of justice, however misplaced it may be at times, would avoid any further violence on this day. After all justice was one of Zeus domains... though he shared that with his father, Kronos, and everyone knew how wonderfully that worked out.

"Please father, let my daughter explain herself. I cannot believe that she actually stole from you on purpose." Athena said, looking at her father pleadingly. And her actions actually did it. Zeus lowered his Bolt and motioned for his daughter to continue.

_'Just like Apollo said, Zeus cannot deny his daughters anything.'_ Percy thought idly as he saw this.

Athena left her throne and approached her daughter, causing the other demigods to step further away from the blond girl. Annabeth looked oddly relieved and nervous at the same time. But anyone would be nervous in this situation. One wrong word and Zeus would end her.

"Annabeth, tell me what you know about the theft of the Master Bolt. Leave nothing out and do not lie." Athena said calmly, her expression that of a stern parent scolding a child after finding it with the hand in the cooky-jar.

"I... I received the Quest to find Lord Zeus' Master Bolt from the Oracle at Camp Half-blood. They had been searching for volunteers, so I took the chance to do a quest. I left the camp with Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, and Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares..."

"Get to the point. Why did you steal the Bolt?" Zeus interjected, clearly not interested in hearing the entire story.

"I did not steal from you, Lord Zeus."

"Luke Castellan admitted stealing it, uncle." Percy piped up, though the look her received from Zeus made him second guess whether it would be good to interrupt or stay silent from now on. A look towards Apollo made it clear that the latter would be the wiser choice. The god of the sun motioned for Percy to shut up and stay out of this.

"That does not prove her innocence. She could have been his accomplice."

"Were you involved in the theft, Annabeth?" Athena asked sternly.

"NO. I swear it, I wasn't involved. I didn't know about Luke having the Bolt until we got attacked by Ares at that beach. I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled in the distance. Athena visibly relaxed now. Her daughter's innocence was proven... for now.

"Then I want the son of Hermes found and punished. He shall not escape from his punishment." Zeus rumbled loudly. "Return to your camp, girl, and don't show your face here again unless called by me." Phoebe released Annabeth from her bindings, now that she was proven innocent.

"Annabeth, take the other demigods and return to Camp Half-blood. Inform Chiron that the Bolt has been found and that Luke Castellan has to be apprehended on sight." Athena said, before she sent her daughter away. Clarisse and Grover followed her, albeit the former only did it begrudgingly. It was clear that the daughter of Ares would later show Annabeth just how displease she was with being left behind at the Casino. They took the still unconscious Nico with them. Zoe and Phoebe stayed behind, waiting for their mistress. As did Ariadne, though on her part it was most likely because she was not really sure yet where she belonged.

* * *

"Now we will deal with the other problem at hand. Perseus Jackson!" Zeus announced loudly. Percy knew that this would be a very long day.

By the looks of it they would hold a trial, all because of him. Percy felt so special at that moment. This was even more fuss than about the whole stolen Master Bolt disaster. And all of this because of an oath that he had neither sworn nor broken. Great.

Zeus looked at Percy from his throne, a thoughtful look on his face that allowed Percy at least a modicum of hope that he might get out of this whole mess, alive and well. At first Percy thought that Zeus looks like a lawyer, dressed in an immaculate pinstriped suit. But now he looked much more like a judge. No, someone else would fill the place of the prosecutor. Athena was still standing, either glaring at Poseidon or at him.

_'Oh yeah, your welcome. I really don't regret speaking up for your daughter...' _Percy thought with a frown.

"One more subject has to be discussed today. Poseidon's oath breaking and the existence of his son, Perseus Jackson." Athena said disdainfully. "We all have seen what he is capable of. Both during his fight against the Chimera and against Ares he has shown that he is too dangerous to be allowed to roam this world freely."

Percy wondered how they knew about his fight against the Chimera. Only Artemis and Apollo had seen it. He could understand why they might know about the fight with Ares though. Ares was here and the fact that they had not talked about Ares involvement in the theft left only one explanation. They had already dealt with Ares actions and did not want the demigods to see it.

"My son has done nothing wrong. He never acted against Olympus and always followed the orders he received from your son, Zeus. And don't get me started about broken oaths." Poseidon said hotly, as he tried to glare a hole into Athena's head.

"And his actions for Hades? How can we not consider it an act of treason, that he has delivered a child to your brother. A child that could potentially be the one in the prophecy." Athena retorted.

"He had no choice but to bring the girl to her father. Either this or Hades would have killed him. Don't judge him for preserving his life." Apollo spoke up, clearly not amused by this entire charade. "And never assume that Percy would betray Olympus. He is loyal to me and Olympus, oath-bound as my champion."

"Loyal to you does not mean loyal to Olympus, Apollo." Athena replied, her eyes narrowed as she looked at her half-brother.

"Are you implying something, Athena?"

"Enough. I won't tolerate your bickering here." Zeus yelled imperiously. "Let us hear what others have to say about this... boy." For a moment he looked at Percy, like a man would look at a dog he considers to take home from the shelter. "Artemis, what is your opinion of this demigod?"

_'Alright, I'm screwed.' _Percy thought. Artemis really did not like him.

"He... is an annoyance. A boy who often stands in the way of my Hunters. A boy who undermines their self-confidence and makes them doubt their vows. I shudder to imagine what effect he will have on my girls once he has grown older." Artemis said, surprisingly calm. Percy had expected an angry rant. But it didn't matter, her opinion was as bad as it can be. "But I have to admit that his actions always saved the lives of my Hunters. We all have seen how he lead the Chimera away from his sleeping friends." Percy was extremely surprised by that. This almost sounded like a compliment from the man hating goddess. Percy saw that Apollo had nearly fallen from his throne from the sudden surprise. "And he has not yet been completely corrupted by my brother's perversion. He might grow up to be a better man than most... or at least as a useful addition to the ranks of Olympus protectors."

"I'm not perverse!" Apollo's indignant outcry was ignored, instead attention returned to Zeus, who looked more thoughtful than before. The fact that Artemis actually spoke in favor of Percy obviously made a big impression on the King of Olympus.

"Then we will now decide the fate of this boy. All in favor of allowing him to live?" Many hands went up when Zeus asked that particular question. Apollo and Poseidon were among the first. But Ares and Hermes soon followed. Even Artemis and surprisingly Aphrodite voted in Percy's favor. In the end the only ones who did not raise their hands were Hera, no real surprise to anyone since she hated all demigods, Athena and Dionysus. Zeus himself never participated in the voting. He was above the rest of the council and considered it his right to veto any decision the other gods made, should he deem it fit to do so. But he would not veto this decision. "Then it is decided. Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon shall live." Apollo and Poseidon both looked very relieved about this.

"Father you can't possibly..." Athena wanted to protest, but Zeus interrupted her with a stern look.

"It has been decided. The demigods shall leave the council chamber, there are more important things to discuss now." Percy and the few other remaining demigods quickly understood this dismissal and left.

"Father, this boy is dangerous. We cannot let him leave like this. He might become a threat. What if the traitorous son of Hermes manages to convince Perseus of his believes?" Athena ranted again.

"Don't you listen to me? He is bound to me. He cannot betray us. Not to mention his fatal flaw." Apollo said somewhat aggravated. When he mentioned Percy's flaw several gods suddenly became very interested. Zeus merely looked commandingly at his son, urging him to elaborate. "Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. He would never betray those close to him. He would rather sacrifice everything to protect his friends and family."

"And we all know that he is only loyal to you, Apollo. His loyalty does not include us or Olympus. He can be an asset, yes I even admit that, but only if we manage to train him properly."

"I..."

"Athena is right about this. Though we cannot separate the boy from Apollo, we must not allow him to be only influenced by one god." Zeus looked around, seeing his children and siblings on the council. Only few could be trusted with such a task. Most were either too close to the boy or disliked him too much to not kill him in an unfortunate accident. "Artemis. I hereby appoint you as the boy's guardian. You will keep your brother in line and assure that the boy will be properly trained as a loyal servant of Olympus." Artemis obviously wanted to protest, but Zeus would not listen. "Meeting adjourned." And with that he flashed out of the chamber, closely followed by his wife and the majority of the council.

* * *

Percy sat on a bench outside of the council chamber, waiting for whoever would come and pick him up. He was sure it would be Apollo. Things had gone rather well for him. He was still alive, has not been turned into some kind of monster or animal and most importantly, he had the majority of the council on his side. It was a good feeling. To know that for the first time in his life he was not on the kill list of some god. He just hoped it would last, at least for some time.

He saw Ariadne. She was in a heated argument with Zoe, both girls obviously too stubborn to yield to the other. Phoebe stood next to them, not interfering, though it was easy to see whose side she was on. All others had already left. Grover and Clarrise had taken Annabeth and Nico back to Camp Half-blood, as they had been ordered. Then someone else appeared. A tall man with oddly green skin and the same eyes as Poseidon.

"Perseus." The man said, as he stopped in front of Percy, looking down on him with an unreadable expression.

"Yes? And who are you?"

"Triton, son of Amphitrite and Poseidon." Percy looked stunned. Before him stood his half-brother. His godly half-brother. "You will come with me, there is someone who wishes to see you." Triton said calmly. Outward he showed no sign of any emotion in regards to Percy. It was impossible to tell how he felt about his demigod brother.

"Alright... I'm sure Apollo can easily find me as long as we stay here on Olympus."

"Our destination is not far from here. I'm sure that a god like Apollo can find the way in broad daylight." Triton said dryly.

As they walked the long path through endless gardens, Percy saw many other people stop and look at him. Minor gods, nymphs and whoever else would come to Olympus. They pointed at him, started whispering with others. It really was kind of unnerving.

"Oh no, not these two idiots." Triton said with a deep sigh. The path before them was blocked by two women, goddesses for sure. They sure were an odd pair. One of them looked strangely like female version of Ares, so Percy wondered whether Ares had pissed off some goddess and was punished this way. But the god of war should still be at the council meeting. And the woman looked rather pretty, a word that Percy would never apply to Ares. The other goddess was just as pretty, though slightly darker and gloomier, as she played idly with a golden apple.

"Who are they?"

"Eris and Enyo. Ares little gang. The latter is his twin sisters to be precise. You would do well to stay away from them. Those two always mean trouble." Triton said sternly, before he took another path to avoid those two. Gladly they did not follow, though they looked rather pleased with themselves to see Triton avoid them like this.

Soon after that they had arrived in front of a large palace like structure. The statues around them depicted several sea monsters and gods that were related to the ocean. Even a fool could easily tell whose palace this was. Inwardly Percy prepared himself for the inevitable meeting with his father. Little did he know who would really await him inside.

* * *

Ariadne was angered, as she paced around, outside of the council chamber. After a rather heated discussion with Zoe she preferred some moments alone. Zoe, always concerned about her mistress, had once more implored her to make her decision. The time had come to decide, Ariadne could not deny that. But what should she do? Stay with the Hunters, become an immortal attendant of her aunt? Or leave the Hunt behind to meet her siblings and live at Camp Half-blood with a chance to have an at least remotely normal life?

The door of the council chamber opened and a concerned looking Poseidon stormed past the girl in his mortal size. The god of the sea looked around, obviously searching for his son. But Percy was not here any more. Ariadne was surprised when she saw that he had disappeared. During her discussion with Zoe she had not paid much attention to him. But from what she had learned about him in the few days they had traveled together she was sure that he was just wandering around. All demigods had ADHD, but Percy seemed to be a special case... especially bad. She never saw him sit around quietly for more than a few minutes. So it was not far-fetched to believe that he was just walking around the gardens of Olympus.

Poseidon did not speak to any of the demigods around, instead he disappeared into the gardens himself. Ariadne was sure that he would easily find his son, so she thought nothing more about this. Instead her attention shifted to the only other gods that left the chamber on foot.

Apollo and Artemis walked out, side by side, neither speaking to the other. Artemis looked grimly, still displeased about her newly appointed duty. But even Apollo looked concerned, though he had all reason to be happy. After all his champion was out of danger now.

Zoe and Phoebe quickly joined their mistress, following some steps behind her, waiting for orders. But Artemis did not even acknowledge them at the moment. Instead she looked at her niece, as she walked directly to her. For Ariadne this could only mean one thing. She would have to make her decision now.

"Lady Artemis..." Ariadne said, as she bowed lightly before the goddess. She knew that her actions and decisions in the last few day could be hardly called respectful towards the goddess who had taken care of her since she was a young child. She chose Percy over her aunt. Helped him, though she knew that Lady Artemis was hunting the boy.

"Sunshine, you know that you have to make a decision now." Apollo told his daughter.

Both Artemis and Apollo looked at the girl impatiently, waiting for her decision now. Both wanted the girl to stay with them. Apollo had mentioned before that he favored her because of her mother, though he did not elaborate on that. And Artemis... Ariadne was the first daughter of Apollo in many centuries that had joined Artemis. Apollo's children rarely felt the call of the Hunt. But Apollo had brought Ariadne there. Brought her to Artemis. Ariadne was the closest thing to a daughter Artemis had in centuries. A kinship that no other Hunter could claim.

"I..." Ariadne was not sure. Would she see the Hunters again if she chose to follow her father? Would she ever see her father and her new friends again if she chose to become an immortal Hunter?

"Never doubt one thing, Ariadne. Even should you choose to go to Camp Half-blood you will always have a place with us. Oath or not, you are part of the Hunt. No one can take that from you." Artemis said with sad smile. It was almost as if she was the one with the gift of prophecy and not Apollo. She already knew what Ariadne would choose.

"Thank you... Aunt Artemis." This definitely made Ariadne's choice easier. "I will go with you, dad." She said finally, looking at Apollo. The god was grinning wildly now, clearly elated about this. Though Artemis did not let it on, it was obvious that she was disappointed though. But Ariadne couldn't help herself. She wanted to know what Apollo had meant when he said her mother was special. Her chances to find out were better by following her father.

Artemis stepped closer to the girl and gave her a brief, but warm hug. "Stay safe, Ariadne. Don't let those demigods at the camp corrupt you. And remember my words." The goddess then walked towards Zoe and Phoebe. With one last sad smile at Ariadne the goddess and her attendants disappeared.

"Don't worry, sunshine. You made the right choice." Apollo said, as he himself gave his daughter a hug. He was glad she would not become a full Hunter. Though he wanted her to become immortal one day he did not want her to be bound by the oath that all Hunters had to swear. "Come, let's find my elusive champion and then we will get something to eat. I'm in the mood for a big celebration right now." Apollo was enthusiastic now and nothing could spoil his mood this day.

* * *

Percy was confused, as he stood inside the large Atrium of Poseidon's palace. He had expected to meet his father here, why else would Triton escort him. But no, the god of the sea was nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a woman. A beautiful woman with flowing black hair and small horns that looked crab claws. She was dressed in robes fit for a queen and had an aura of grace and superiority around her.

"Perseus, this Lady Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon and Queen of the Sea." Triton told him. He looked reproachfully at Percy, wordlessly ordering him to show proper respect.

Percy looked slightly shocked by that. He knew only little about this woman, his stepmother. But if Hera was an example to go by, Percy had reason to fear that she might do something bad to him, to get her revenge on her husband for his liaisons. But instead she smiled at him benevolently. Percy couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy... and he did not mean Triton by that.

"So you are the one that has caused all the commotion around Olympus." She scrutinized Percy for some moments before she continued. "You are still very young, though you show considerable talent, thanks to, or maybe despite Apollo's influence."

"His control over his water powers is still abysmal. He brawls like a son of Ares, using cheap tricks like Hermes' blighters." Triton said somewhat thoughtfully.

"Make no mistake, Perseus, I strongly disapprove of the way you were conceived. But I am not vengeful like Lady Hera. I see no gain in harming you. It wouldn't keep my Lord from repeating his mistakes." Amphitrite told him somewhat honestly. She wouldn't harm him, but that wouldn't stop her from using him to harm her husband. Though Percy did not need to know that little detail.

"Lady Amphitrite, why exactly am I here?" Percy asked, his confusion easily readable in his expression.

"You, Perseus, are here because you are a child of the sea. No matter how... or with whom you have been conceived, you are part of the sea. And as that, you are also my responsibility. You are a son of the King of the Sea and as such you have responsibilities. But we will teach you as you grow older. At the moment your only responsibility is to not bring shame to your family. Many gods have shown interest in you and that means that you will have to show them the superiority of the sea."

"Is this some kind of competition with Lord Zeus? Apollo always mentioned that the Big Three are especially competitive amongst each other."

"Apollo." Amphitrite said with a sigh. "Apparently it is inevitable that children of the sea feel drawn to the sun. Though it is slightly different in your case."

"What?" Was the only intelligent response Percy could think of.

"Our sister, Rhode, was the wife of Apollo's predecessor. She fell in love with and married Helios." Triton elaborated. His voice was subdued, a stark contrast to the way he spoke before. Before his strength and pride could be heard in every word, but when he mentioned their sister he sounded almost defeated.

"Why did you say she 'was' married to Helios?"

"When Helios faded our sister followed him. That was many centuries ago, but it is still a subject we do not discuss very often."

Percy couldn't help himself but think about the coincidence. So his half-sister was married to Helios and now he was here, carrying a weapon of the same Titan. And he himself became the champion of the current sun god. Almost ironic. Amphitrite was right. Children of the sea apparently felt drawn to the sun.

"Enough about the past." Amphitrite ordered sternly. Percy could understand why she did not want to talk about this topic. No mother would be happy to talk about her child's death. "We need to finish this meeting now. Your patron approaches, Perseus."

"I will not bring shame to your family, Lady Amphitrite."

"Yes, you will not. Triton will come and teach you how to properly use your inherited powers. Listen to what he says, follow his orders and you will do well." Amphitrite admonished him sternly. It was bit how Percy imagined his own mother would have admonished him to do well in school and do his homework. But his own mother was gone and her memory faded slowly. "Go now, Apollo is nearly here." Percy bowed lightly, before he quickly left the palace.

Triton looked exasperated now that Percy was gone. "Mother, is this really necessary? To teach this dunderhead!"

"You will do as I tell you, Triton. Your father cares for this demigod. But he will soon learn that I can take that boy away from him without harming the child. Poseidon will learn his lesson and we will gain a capable servant." The Queen of the Sea was convinced that her plan would succeed. From what they had seen, Percy already had his doubts in his father. They could work with that. And even now Poseidon did not meet his son. He searched for him, yes, but he would have never expected Percy to be at his own palace. The Queen was lucky, whereas her king would return to Atlantis, after suffering a disappointment.

* * *

**A/N: So, I really hope this chapter wasn't too bad.**

**I had a rather long discussion with one reader about the OC in this story, Ariadne. Since in this story Apollo plays a major role in Percy's life I felt the need to have a child of Apollo in an equally important position. We know only few of his kids. At first I wanted to use Will Solace, but in the end I decided against him. The reason for that was simple. He is a boy and as such there would have been no way to connect him to Artemis without making up some ridiculous excuse. We know only one daughter of Apollo, Kayla, a very minor character in the books. But I really didn't like her name and since we know nothing else about her I could just as well create a new OC. Ariadne will play an important role in my stories, similar to Thalia or Clarisse in the books. She will not be romantically involved with Percy, but she will be a friend and constant companion for most of the time. And because of that I gave her a background story with Apollo and Artemis.**

**And I say it only once for all the Athena fans, I don't want to make her look bad or anything, but she and Poseidon had a very serious rivalry and because of that she also dislikes Poseidon's children... there was an exception to that, though, but that is for another time. And don't forget that she voted for Percy to be killed in the Titan's Curse, so it's no surprise that she does it here as well.**

**Ah well, and the rest... yeah, Percy will have a lot more interaction with Triton. I always felt that he should have seen his brother more during the books, it would have been really interesting to see. He had one of his brothers with him in the books, and as much as I like Tyson, he is 'just' a Cyclops, whereas Triton is Poseidon's heir. And with Artemis as his appointed guardian he will still have some form of connection to the Hunt.**

**And I guess one last piece of information about Apollo. He mentioned Daphne when he talked to Ariadne. Daphne was a nymph and a maiden huntress like Artemis. When Apollo made fun of Eros and called him a bad marksman Eros shot a love arrow at Apollo, making him fall in love with Daphne, while he shot an arrow at Daphne that had the opposite effect. Madly in love Apollo pursued Daphne relentlessly until the nymph prayed to her father to transform her into a different form so Apollo would no longer hunt her. She was turned into a laurel tree. Apollo's love ended tragically that way, but the laurel was sacred to him after this. In other narratives Apollo did not fall in love with her because of Eros, but because of Daphne's beauty, but the result was the same.**


	15. Chapter 15

Percy felt elated as he left the palace of his father. The meeting with his stepmother went far better than he could have hoped and he was very glad for it. For years Apollo had told him about the evil stepmother of Olympus. The stories he had been told about Hera were gruesome and just by the way the Queen of Olympus had looked at him today it was obvious that not all of Apollo's tales had been exaggerated. But it was obvious that Amphitrite was nothing like Hera. She was cold, rightfully so, he had to admit that, but she wasn't vengeful.

By the looks of it he was given a chance. A chance to prove himself to his family. He wondered whether this was his father's idea. His father didn't talk to him, but sent his son and wife instead. At least this was what made the most sense to Percy. In a way he was disappointed that his father did not want to talk to him in person. But what else to expect from the man who had not looked for him even once in the last twelve years?

Was his father like Hades? Welcome one child with open arms, then sent the other away because his actions did not please him? Was his father displeased with him for being Apollo's champion? Maybe. Or maybe because he had helped Hades and brought one of his children to the Underworld where neither Zeus nor Poseidon could harm the girl. The rivalry of the big three was legendary after all.

He knew that pondering this too much would get him nowhere and he just wasn't one to brood. No one would be able to do that after living with Apollo. Speaking of the devil, the sun-god himself appeared in the nearby gardens, followed by his daughter, showing his brightest grin.

"There he is, the boy who conquered all the odds." Apollo said, as he approached Percy and flung an arm around the boy's shoulder. "Today you have done the impossible, Percy, you got Artemis to speak positively about a man."

"That is good, I think..."

"It is." Apollo said with a nod.

"And what is the final verdict?"

"Nothing major. You have to go to Camp Half-blood until Zeus and Athena have cooled down a bit. It won't be for long. A few months at most."

"Camp, really? I'm not really into that kind of free time activities." Percy was not very happy about going to Camp Half-blood. Being cooped up with the other demigods in a supposedly safe camp sounded dreadfully boring. He wouldn't be able to get a decent fight in months... no monsters would get into that camp.

"Yep. And you have a new guardian now."

"So you finally got tired of me." Percy said with a half-hearted smirk.

"Nah, I never get tired of my little bro. I can't wait until you are old enough to come to the bars with me. Nine more dreadful years before you are allowed to drink in this country. Maybe I should take you on a holiday trip to some country where..."

"Right." Percy knew he had to stop Apollo before the god would finish his thoughts. Otherwise they would make a side-trip to gods know where on the world. "So who is this new guardian?"

"Oh, you know her."

"If you say Athena I will jump off Olympus."

"No. She would have liked to use you for some experiments to sate her curiosity, but Zeus has other plans for you. No, your new guardian is someone you actually know." Percy looked at Apollo in disbelieve. "Yes. Artemis. She and I are now both responsible for you correct upbringing and training. Which means that I will train you and she will make sure that I only teach you what she deems right."

"Great... a man hating goddess is responsible for me... makes me feel real special and safe."

"Well, it could be worse." Ariadne said, "It could have been Aphrodite. Just imagine what she would do with you."

Percy shuddered at the thought. "Don't make jokes about that. She and Hermes already forced me to wear this outfit, "He pointed at his clothes as he said that, a disgruntled look on his face.

"I actually like the new look. The chicks dig that..."

"Apollo, I'm still twelve. I'm not interested in getting laid every night." Percy interjected.

"Yeah, yeah. That will change soon enough and then you will come to me, begging for dating advice."

"Right... So, what now? Straight to Camp Boredom?"

"Nope, first we go and get something to eat. Then I will take you and Ariadne to the camp." Apollo grabbed the shoulders of the two demigods and flashed all three of them away from Olympus, to a house Percy knew all too well. Though during his last visit this place was crawling with Hunters. And by the looks of it Apollo had not been here since.

"Okay kids, freshen up, then I will take you to a great restaurant I visit often."

"Fancy or casual?" Percy asked, knowing well what Apollo must have planned.

Apollo grinned widely. "Fancy of course. For my daughter and my champion I will only have the best." Ariadne wasn't sure what exactly Percy and Apollo were talking about, but she was sure she heard Percy mutter the word 'show-off', as the boy looked somewhat exasperated.

"Dad, I really don't wish to spoil your enthusiasm about this, but I don't think that my clothes are good enough for such an occasion." Ariadne looked slightly embarrassed at her father, but Apollo merely laughed. "This isn't funny. Hunters never need any clothes except our hunting outfits."

"Sunshine, don't worry. I have everything covered. I knew you would come to me one day, so I have a room ready for you. My house is your house. And the awesome dad I am, I have prepared for all eventualities."

"Isn't that against the law? You are not allowed to take care of me."

"All eventualities, sunshine. I'm not taking care of you. Percy will be responsible for you and I am responsible for him. Awesome, isn't it? They can't admonish me for meeting you 'accidentally'. " Apollo grinned smugly at the two stunned demigods, proud of his ingenious idea.

"What do you mean I am responsible for her?" Percy asked.

At the same time Ariadne asked another question, "The gods actually allow that?"

"Yes, sunshine. And Percy, I told you that I have great plans for you." Then he walked towards the house, away from Percy and Ariadne.

"Now it's official, he is nuts." Percy muttered.

"The other gods will surely punish him for this. Actually... I'm sure his punishment begins right now." She smiled sweetly, before she looked towards the house. She was waiting for something. Then he heard it.

"What the Hades! My porn! ARTEMIS!" Apollo's yells could be heard in the entire neighborhood. Ariadne and Percy were laughing raucously.

* * *

Apollo was still distraught about the loss of his special collection, when he and Percy sat on the couch in the living room. Percy remembered many evenings spent here, talking about ancient myths or just watching Apollo's favorite shows on TV. It was always odd to imagine him as a god when he was like this. He always seemed so much closer to the mortal world, especially in comparison to his sister, who sought the solitude of the wilderness.

"So, Percy, looking forward to going to the camp?"

"Nope... Can't I just stay here and continue hunting monsters?" Percy whined lightly.

Apollo patted him on the shoulder, a small smirk back on his face. "Can't help it, it is safer for you at camp. And just think about all the pretty girls there, you will be the Casanova of the camp. What else could you be after my awesome training."

"You've got to be kidding me. The girls there are the daughters of the gods and goddesses, their parents might kill me for even thinking about doing what you do to your... partners."

"Nah, most of them care little about their children's escapades. So as long as you stay clear of my girls, you will have little to worry about. I'm also ready to bet that Aphrodite's daughters would practically beg for a chance to date you."

"Judging by their mother they have to be slightly insane..." Percy retorted.

Apollo laughed. "No, judging by their mother they have to be hot. I will be severely disappointed, should you not manage to hook up with at least one of them." He said with a mock stern voice and expression.

"You're nuts. Who did I piss off to get a maniac and a man-hating maiden as my guardians?"

"Percy, Percy, Percy. You have a lot of growing up to do." Percy looked disbelieving at Apollo, before the god continued. "But maybe you are not interested in Aphrodite's daughters, because you have already seen some even more beautiful girls." He looked closely at his champion, trying to find any clue whether his assumption was right. "Come on, tell me, we are among bros here."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Percy said cautiously.

"You are not fooling me, Percy. I know that the other girls in your group had nothing on my little sunshine, but one of them should have caught your interest. So, who was is it? Is it Hades daughter?" He waggled with his eyebrows.

"Are you insane? Hades would gut me for even thinking about something like this. I just got him to stop hunting me like some wild beast, I'm not interested to get back to that."

"Yes, the overprotective father can be quite the mood killer." Apollo said with a nod. "So who else? Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to Ares little rascal."

"Gods, no. She is like female version of her father."

"Yes, not very pretty indeed." He sounded oddly relieved about this. "The only leaves... no way..."

"Don't even finish that thought. Though I have to admit that Zoe made me slightly curious, her tendency to try to maim me is not really helping. And the whole Hunter thing makes any further thoughts in that direction redundant."

"You're right. Try not to fall for someone like Zoe. Impossible to conquer and not really worth the risk. Though the two of you already got quite cozy in that casino."

"How...?" Percy was surprised. He really hoped that none of the gods would find out about that... incident. Artemis would castrate him for sure.

"But you should try your luck with some girl at camp. No need to provoke Artemis any further I guess. You already have enough enemies among the gods."

"Can we please talk about something else or at least get a move on?" Percy asked impatiently.

Apollo smirked, showing that it was quite obvious that this topic was not over yet. "Sure. I'll go and see what's keeping Ariadne so long. Then we will go out for a big party."

Percy relaxed on the couch with a deep sigh. Apollo could be such a pain in the ass. He knew that the sun-god meant nothing bad by it, but his insistence to convince Percy to lead a life of debauchery was getting quite annoying sometimes.

* * *

Chiron walked through Camp Half-blood, watching the young demigods train. He felt like a great burden had been lifted of his shoulders when Clarisse and Annabeth returned to tell him that the Master Bolt had been returned and that a war between the gods had been averted. It troubled him though that one of the kids from his camp had turned traitor and left them forever. But at least there would be peace between the gods. He did not want to see any of the children in this camp fight and die in a war. Little did he know that war would inevitable in a few years.

But he was also looking forward to another event that was coming very soon. The arrival of a demigod who has never been to the camp before. His former student, Percy Jackson. He knew he had grossly underestimated the boy during his short stint as a teacher at Yancy. Percy had him fooled for the entire time. But now the son of Poseidon would come to Camp Half-blood and Chiron was sure that his presence would change the camp for sure. A demigod with an impressive history like Percy was bound to attract the attention of all other campers.

He got close to Half-blood Hill, as he saw a small group of demigods standing there, watching something or rather someone near Thalia's pine tree. There were three people, a man and two youngsters, a boy and a girl. They stood near the tree, talking quietly, before the man left in a bright flash, leaving only the youngsters behind. But the man had not disappeared completely, instead he reappeared next to Chiron, whispering something into the Centaur's ear, before finally left for good.

The whispering among the demigods rose to a wild frenzy when the two newcomers came closer, revealing themselves to be a black haired boy and a blond girl, both no older than twelve by their looks. The whispering turned into shouting, when holograms appeared above their heads, revealing their godly parents to everyone near them.

Chiron quickly approached them, before he bowed slightly before the boy. "Hail Perseus Jackson, son of the Sea God, champion of the Sun and ward of the Moon." The demigods looked flabbergasted when they heard that, before all of them knelt, as demanded during the claiming of a child of the Big Three. "And let us also welcome his friend, Ariadne, daughter of Apollo."

"Your dad overdid it this time, Ariadne. I didn't expect anyone to kneel before me..." Percy said, as he looked around uncomfortably. He really did not want to this kind of attention.

"I can assure you, Percy, that this was not Lord Apollo's doing. All demigods have to show respect to a child of the Big Three when they are claimed by their parents." Chiron said, as he approached Percy. "Everyone else back to their training, the show is over." The demigods followed the order only begrudgingly, clearly curious about these new arrivals.

"Mr Brunner?" Percy asked in surprise, as he saw his former Latin teacher in his true form.

"In this world I'm called Chiron, but I'm sure that your patron has already told you about that much. I am happy to finally have you here in this camp."

"A centaur. That explains it." Percy said.

Chiron looked confused for a moment. "I believe you have me at a disadvantage. What does this explain?"

"The smell of horse droppings every time I stood next to you..." Percy said matter of factly. The demigods around them started laughing lightly, while Ariadne gave Percy a light whack on the back of his head. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Don't insult the camp staff on your first day here, Percy."

"Oh... right."

"I can see that my father has rubbed off on you much more than Lady Artemis had feared..."

"Hey, I am not like Apollo." Percy protested.

"Yeah, I'm much more awesome than my little bro." Out of nowhere Apollo had appeared behind Percy and Ariadne, scaring them with his sudden return. "Don't worry, I won't be here for long. Just forgot to give something to my little sunshine." He took a necklace out of his pocket and placed it around his daughter's neck. "Just to keep you safe." With a last smile at his champion and his daughter he disappeared in a flash.

"Well... that was... different." Chiron said drily.

Percy chuckled. "You don't even know half of it. So what now?"

"Ah, yes. I believe we can skip the orientation video and the usual talk. You both obviously know what you are, which makes this easier. I would introduce you to Mr D, but he has stated that he has no wish to meet either of you. You wouldn't know why, would you?" It was a good question. Percy knew that Mr D was actually Dionysus and he had seen first hand that this god does not like him very much. During the council meeting Dionysus was one of the few who had voted for Percy's execution and judging by the way he had glared at the son of Poseidon, it was obvious that there was something that Percy should know about this particular god. Maybe it was because of the whole son of Poseidon thing.

The demigod children of Poseidon had a habit of being hated by other gods. Artemis hated Poseidon's children because of Orion, Athena hated them because of Poseidon, Hera hated them just for being demigods... then Percy remembered something Apollo had told Percy about his half-brothers and about the gods. Dionysus is married to Ariadne, the Ariadne from the myth about the Labyrinth and the Minotaur... and that Ariadne was eventually betrayed by Theseus... son of Poseidon...

"Just my luck. Was there even one half-brother who wasn't a complete and utter moron?" Percy muttered.

"Done with cursing you brothers?" Ariadne asked with an all to familiar smirk.

"Don't mock me, you haven't met your siblings yet." Percy retorted.

"Alright children, don't bicker." Chiron said, as he felt the beginning of what might turn into a migraine, should those two continue like this. They were worse than some siblings. "I think we should continue with a small tour. To show you the facilities of the camp and you new home."

"Alright. Lead on." Percy said.

* * *

Chiron gladly obliged. He lead the two newcomers around, showing them the Big House, the stables, armory and amphitheater and archery ranges. At all times they were followed by and ever growing crowd of demigods, all curious about the son of Poseidon who had arrived. News had spread fast and soon everyone knew about Percy and especially about how he was introduced. Especially the Apollo campers seemed intrigued by the two new demigods. Their father's champion and a new sister, this day was very interesting for them.

Eventually the group arrived at the Cabins, the place where Percy and Ariadne would live from now on, whenever they would stay at the camp. The Cabins were built next to each other in a U shape, each visibly representing the god or goddess whose children lived inside. They varied in size, the biggest being the Cabins of Hermes, Apollo and Aphrodite, the Olympians with them most children. When Percy saw the overcrowded Hermes Cabin he was glad that his father had not wasted any time to claim him. He knew he wouldn't have liked staying there with so many other kids. He could see that Luke actually sugar-coated the whole place. It looked even worse in real.

When he saw Apollo's Cabin he actually couldn't bear looking at if longer than necessary. It was brightly golden, representing Apollo's bright and overbearing personality. Even Ariadne looked slightly annoyed by it. Or maybe it was the fact that it was also very crowded. Not even remotely as bad as Hermes' Cabin, but still very crowded. After living in the wilderness with the Hunters it was obvious that she was not used to be around so many people all the time.

Then they approached another Cabin, one that was obviously uninhabited. Poseidon's Cabin. It was a long building, with all the windows facing the sea. The outer walls looked like the bottom of the ocean floor, decorated with seashells. To Percy it looked like a place he would gladly call home.

The first thing he noted, after he had entered the Cabin was that the walls glowed like abalone. Percy couldn't help but smirk. Maybe coming to the camp had at least some good points. Very few, but still some good points.

"This is so cool. It isn't the same home like Apollo's house in Queens, but still, this is cool." He finally sat down on one of the six bunks in the main room, allowing him a moment to let this all sink in.

"Man, I'm already getting jealous." Ariadne said, before she sat down next to him. "You get all this to yourself and I have to share my new home with a whole bunch of brothers and sisters that already started to creep me out after only five minutes with them." She lightly shoved his shoulder, causing him to fall over. He really didn't mind, the bed was very comfy after all. "Can't I stay here? Dad said you are responsible for me, so share." She knew she was childish, but this was also the first time since the death of her mother that she lived without the fear of sudden monster attacks. Now she could allow herself to act a bit more like a girl of her age and not like a trained huntress, roaming the wilderness on the search for prey.

"I'm afraid that is not possible. You may visit your friend here, but not after sundown. And surely Lord Apollo wouldn't want you to stay in another god's cabin when he has provided his children with a great home in this camp." Chiron said, as he slowly got closer to the two.

"This sucks..."

"Well at least you can visit me. And your siblings can't all be bad. Maybe you will start to like them soon..." She merely gave him a blank look. He had not followed her, when she visited the Apollo Cabin for a few moments. He had not seen the chaos inside. "...or not."

"Well, children, this concludes our tour. You can roam the camp freely for the rest of the day. From tomorrow on you will join the other campers in the usual activities." The Centaur told them. "Percy, usually the counselor of each cabin leads his or her siblings to the activities, but since you are the only camper in this cabin we should find something different for you. Because of your affiliation with Apollo it might be good for you to join the other Apollo Campers in their activities."

"Yeah, at least I would have one sane person with me." Ariadne said.

"Sure. Don't see a reason to refuse that."

"Good, I will send Micheal tomorrow to fetch you for the first activities." As he saw Percy's questioning stare Chiron elaborated. "Micheal Yew, one of the senior campers in the Apollo Cabin." And with these words the Centaur left the two demigods alone.

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the windows of Poseidon's Cabin on the morning of Percy's first full day at Camp Half-blood. The son of Poseidon was still sleeping peacefully after an eventful evening and his first campfire sing-along. It was just strange for him to be around so many demigods, but he was confident that could get used to this.

But right now he wanted to sleep, but the sunlight wouldn't let him. No matter how he turned and tossed around, the sun was always shining directly into his face, much to his growing annoyance.

"Get lost Apollo... I wanna sleep..." Percy mumbled in his sleep.

What he did not know at the moment was, that he was no longer alone in the room. "Told you he would still be sleeping." It was obvious that Ariadne had come to wake him up.

"Damn, sleeping like a dead man, even though dad seems very insistent on waking him up." Another person, a boy, said.

Ariadne laughed mirthfully. "You don't even know half of it. He even managed to sleep though Lady Artemis lieutenant, one of the worst man-haters you can find, was sleeping on his chest."

"What? He is twelve and already managed to bag a girl like Nightshade? I saw her the last time the Hunters visited the camp and damn that girl is cute. Her personality is a big turn-off though." Another boy said with an awed voice.

"You misunderstand, Zoe was drunk that night. And I mean she was completely smashed." Ariadne said.

"Well you have to break the ice somehow."

"Men..." Another girl grumbled. "You are worse than dad on your good days."

Percy finally had enough and opened his eyes. Apollo had not managed to wake him up, but his children did it quite well. Now he could understand why Ariadne wanted to stay here. "Can you all please shut up. I was trying to sleep here."

"Get up, Percy, or else you won't get any breakfast." Ariadne said, as she stole his blanket from him to force him to stand up.

"Fine..." Percy yawned loudly as he stood up. "And who are the visitors? Siblings?" It was obvious that all of them had to be children of Apollo. Will looked like a younger version of Apollo and Kayla looked very similar to Ariadne, except for her slightly darker hair color. Only Micheal stood out with his black hair and brown eyes, but his features were very similar to his father.

"Yep. Those two dunderheads are my brothers, Micheal and Will, the girl over there is my sister Kayla." Will even winked at Percy in a way that Apollo usually did. For some moments Percy thought that Apollo had somehow tricked the gods and found a chance to be with his kids. But that was of course ridiculous. No, this boy was just a carbon copy of his father. Apollo must be so proud of him.

"Could all just wait outside while I get dressed?" Percy asked calmly. The boy's left without protest, soon followed by Ariadne. Kayla remained a moment longer, studying the son of Poseidon closely. Maybe she just wanted to know a bit more about her father's champion... or maybe it was because of the fact that Percy slept without a shirt on. She left hastily once Percy saw her staring at him though. "Don't even think about it, Apollo's daughters are off limit."

Not five minutes later he rejoined the small group of demigods and followed them towards the dining pavilion. The children of Apollo bombarded him with questions about their dad and his adventures with the sun-god, until they had finally reached the pavilion. But Percy's peace shouldn't last.

"Jackson. Thought you could escape me for long, didn't you." Percy looked around, trying to find the source of the offending voice, until his eyes finally rested on the face of Ares' daughter, Clarisse La Rue.

"What?"

"You. I. Arena. Now." Without waiting for an answer she grabbed his arm and dragged him off. Percy did not offer much resistance, still confused about what exactly he had done to invoke the wrath of Ares' daughter.

"Is that a normal occurrence?" Will asked Ariadne, as the Apollo campers followed Percy.

"I'm not sure. I believe that usually Ares himself forces Percy to fight him, not his kids. But from what Percy has told me, this is not unusual..."

Many more demigods had followed them, all now watching the confrontation that was about to start. Percy had just arrived the day before, but it was obvious that he was the most exciting thing that had happened to camp in recent history.

"Now we fight, prissy. I will prove my worth to my father by beating you to a bloody pulp." Clarisse exclaimed loudly, as she gripped her spear tightly.

Percy yawned again. "Do we have to do this before breakfast?" Clarisse only glared more at him. "Fine..." Percy grumbled. He summoned his sword from the amulet Apollo had given him and got ready. "Okay, bring it."

As Clarisse charged the demigods around them started to cheer. Some for her, but more demigods cheered for Percy. But no matter who would win today, it was obvious that this would quickly become a regular event in camp. Percy definitely wouldn't be bored any time soon.

* * *

**A/N: And with this the first story ends. I think this a good place to finish this story. **

**I know that there re still some unanswered questions, like whose voice Percy keeps hearing and some other things. All of this will be explained in later stories. From the beginning I had planned to write several stories for the Apollo as Percy's guardian idea. And I will write the entire storyline, which will include at least two more stories, maybe three, depending on the progress.**

**I will post the first few chapters of the sequel soon, including some new chapters. So yes, I am continuing the sequel, but I can't make any promises about quick updates. Oh well, I will post a notice here as soon as the sequel is up again...**


	16. Sequel

Okay everybody. I gave my word that I would add a note when I post the sequel and here it is. The sequel to this story has been posted under the title '**Trials of the Sea**' and has only Percy as a mentioned character at the moment. But the new story will finally have a pairing for Percy somewhere down the road...

The new story will continue where Champion of the Sun has ended.

Living at camp was not at all what Percy had expected. New friends have been been found, old rivalries persist. But even as his brother trains him, Percy cannot help but feel restless. His destiny calls for him and only one thing is for sure. Even the sea won't make his life any easier. His trials are only the beginning of a much bigger fate.

So go and have a look at the story if you want to. I hope to see all of you following my new story, so you can see where Percy's road will take him.


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